Sir Tatton Sykes. 235 



ling cleared the purchase money at Doncaster, and 

 Mr. Blenkiron averaged in 1866-67, exactly 1312^ 

 guineas for yearlings from Gaspard's and Elcho's 

 dams. People said that the old blood would come 

 out, and Lord Berners and Mr. Borton have won with 

 a strong stain of it at the Royal, the Yorkshire, and 

 the Smithfield Club. 



In his dining room, his own presentation picture by 

 Sir Francis Grant had the post of honour; and it 

 often elicited the story of how he rode the little chest- 

 nut to London, and how Sir Francis shared a bottle 

 of pale ale with him by way of " improving my com- 

 plexion " for the picture. Mr. Morrell rested on the 

 floor below, with Mr. R. Duckfield Astley and his 

 harriers. King Cob the greyhound, Grey Momus, 

 Bay Middleton, and Pyrrhus the First formed the rest 

 of this curious collection, along with a hunting print, 

 in which old Will Carter, who never would wear a hat 

 or carry a horn, is getting away from cover on the 

 blood chestnut Anna Maria. Yorkshiremen some- 

 times wondered that Lottery had not found admission, 

 but Sir Tatton gave a very good reason for it, that 

 he had sent eleven mares to him one season and only 

 had one foal. 



The picture of the two Sir Tatton Sykes's, horse 

 and man, which hung on the staircase gallery, would 

 lead on to the tale of his visit to Mr. Herring, and his 

 grotesque reception. The servant-girl could not speak 

 when she opened the door, but shrieked with laughter 

 for a minute or two, and then ran to her master's 

 studio. There she did no better, and could only sit in 

 a chair and gasp out, " The old gentleman with the 

 stick" and then " off again " like a woman bewitched, 

 till Mr. Herring, rinding that she would not "rise to 

 explain," went to the door himself. The girl had 

 evidently paused amid her sweeping labours, and 

 conned over the likeness of " the old gentleman " at 

 the head of the horse Sir Tatton Sykes, and the see- 



