He would halloo _at_ people, designating them by some peculiarity that he thought he could wriggle out of, if necessary, instead of attacking them by name.

Thus, if a man spoke, or placed himself where Waffles thought he ought not to be (that is to say, anywhere but where Waffles was himself), he would exclaim, 'Pray, sir, hold your tongue!--you, sir!--no, sir, not you--the man that speaks as if he had a brush in his throat!'-- or, '_Do_ come away, sir!--you, sir!--the man in the mushroom-looking hat!'-- or, 'that gentleman in the parsimonious boots!' looking at some one with very narrow tops.
[Illustration: MR.

WAFFLES, THE PRESENT MASTER OF THE LAVERICK WELLS HOUNDS] Still, he was a rattling, good-natured, harum-scarum fellow; and masterships of hounds, memberships of Parliament--all expensive unmoney-making offices,--being things that most men are anxious to foist upon their friends, Mr.Waffles' big talk and interference in the field procured him the honour of the first refusal.

Not that he was the man to refuse, for he jumped at the offer, and, as he would be of age before the season came round, and would have got all his money out of Chancery, he disdained to talk about a subscription, and boldly took the hounds as his own.

He then became a very important personage at Laverick Wells.
He had always been a most important personage among the ladies, but as the men couldn't marry him, those who didn't want to borrow money of him, of course, ran him down.