YOUR oss sall be seek—down in de mouth dis mornin’, sare,” observed Monsieur to Billy, as the latter lay tossing about in his uncomfortable bed, thinking how he could shirk that day’s hunting penance; Sir Moses, with his usual dexterity, having evaded the offer of lending him a horse, by saying that Billy’s having nothing to do the day before would be quite fresh for the morrow. “Shall be w-h-a-w-t?” drawled our hero, dreading the reply. “Down in de mouth—seek—onvell,” replied Jack, depositing the top-boots by the sofa, and placing the shaving-water on the toilette table. “Oh, is he!” said Billy, perking up, thinking he saw his way out of the dilemma. “What’s the matter with him?” “He coughs, sare—he does not feed, sare—and altogether he is not right.” “So-o-o,” said Billy, conning the matter over—“then, p’raps I’d better not ride him?” “Vot you think right, sare,” replied Jack. “He is your quadruped, not mine; but I should not say he is vot dey call, op to snoff—fit to go.” “Ah,” replied Billy. “I’ll not ride ‘im! hate a horse that’s not up to the mark.” “Sare Moses Baronet vod perhaps lend you von, sare,” suggested Jack. “Oh, by no means!” replied Billy in a fright. “By no means! I’d just as soon not hunt to-day, in fact, for I’ve got a good many letters to write and things to do; so just take the water away for the present and bring it back when Sir Moses is gone.” So saying, Billy turned over on his thin pillow, and again sought the solace of his couch. He presently fell into a delightful dreamy sort of sleep, in which he fancied that after dancing the Yammerton girls all round, he had at length settled into an interminable “Ask Mamma Polka,” with Clara, from which he was disagreeably aroused by Jack Rogers’ hirsute face again protruding between the partially-drawn curtains, announcing, “Sare Moses Baronet, sare, has cot his stick—is off.” “Sir Moses, _what!_” started Billy, dreading to hear about the hunt. “Sare Moses Baronet, sare, is gone, and I’ve brought you your _l’eau chaude_, as you said.” “All right!” exclaimed Billy, rubbing his eyes and recollecting himself, “all right;” and, banishing the beauty, he jumped out of bed and resigned himself to Rogers, who forthwith commenced the elaborate duties of his office. As it progressed he informed Billy how the land lay. “Sare Moses was gone, bot Coddy was left, and Mrs. Margerum said there should be no _déjeuner_ for Cod” (who was a bad tip), till Billy came down. And Jack didn’t put himself at all out of his way to expedite matters to accommodate Cuddy.