'No!' exclaimed Jawleyford, in astonishment.
'No,' repeated Sponge.
'Look again, my dear fellow; you _must_ know it,' observed Jawleyford.
'I suppose it's meant for you,' at last replied Sponge, seeing his host's
anxiety.
'_Meant!_ my dear fellow; why, don't you think it like?'
'Why, there's a resemblance, certainly,' said Sponge, 'now that one knows.
But I shouldn't have guessed it was you.'
'Oh, my dear Mr. Sponge!' exclaimed Jawleyford, in a tone of mortification,
'Do you _really_ mean to say you don't think it like?'
'Why, yes, it's like,' replied Sponge, seeing which way his host wanted it;
'it's like, certainly; the want of expression in the eye makes such a
difference between a bust and a picture.'
'True,' replied Jawleyford, comforted--'true,' repeated he, looking
affectionately at it; 'I should say it was very like--like as anything can
be. You are rather too much above it there, you see; sit down here,'
continued he, leading Sponge to an ottoman surrounding a huge model of the
column in the Place Vendome, that stood in the middle of the room--'sit
down here now, and look, and say if you don't think it like?'
[Illustration: 'THIS, OF COURSE, YOU KNOW?']
'Oh, _very_ like,' replied Sponge, as soon as he had seated himself.
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