'
By the time the worthies had finished the bottle, they had got a certain
way into each other's confidence. The hint Lord Scamperdale had given about
buying Sponge's horses still occupied Jack's mind; and the more he
considered the subject, and the worth of a corner in his lordship's will,
the more sensible he became of the truth of the old adage, that 'a bird in
the hand is worth two in the bush.' 'My lord,' thought Jack, 'promises
fair, but it is _but_ a chance, and a remote one. He may live many
years--as long, perhaps longer, than me. Indeed, he puts me on horses that
are anything but calculated to promote longevity. Then he may marry a wife
who may eject me, as some wives do eject their husbands' agreeable friends;
or he may change his mind, and leave me nothing after all.'
All things considered, Jack came to the conclusion that he should not be
doing himself justice if he did not take advantage of such fair
opportunities as chance placed in his way, and therefore he thought he
might as well be picking up a penny during his lordship's life, as be
waiting for a contingency that might never occur.
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