'They are that,' replied Puffington.
'Mr. Sponge seems a very pleasant, gentlemanly man,' observed Mr. Puffington.
'Oh, he is,' replied Jack.
'Can you tell me—can you inform me—that's to say, can you give me any idea,' hesitated Puffington, 'what is the usual practice—the usual course—the usual understanding as to the treatment of those sort of gentlemen?'
'Oh, the best of everything's good enough for them,' replied Jack, adding, 'just as it is with me.'
'Ah, I don't mean in the way of eating and drinking, but in the way of encouragement—in the way of a present, you know?' adding—'What did my lord do?' seeing Jack was slow at comprehension.
'Oh, my lord bad-worded him well,' replied Jack, adding, 'he didn't get much encouragement from him.'
'Ah, that's the worst of my lord,' observed Puffington; 'he's rather coarse—rather too indifferent to public opinion. In a case of this sort, you know, that doesn't happen every day, or, perhaps, more than once in a man's life, it's just as well to be favourably spoken of as not, you know'; adding, as he looked intently at Jack—'Do you understand me?'
Jack, who was tolerably quick at a chance, now began to see how things were, and to fathom Mr. Puffington's mistake. His ready imagination immediately saw there might be something made of it, so he prepared to keep up the delusion.