i8o A MIRROR OF THE TURF. 



Sadler's Wells Theatre to witness the play of 

 King John, and after the tragedy I supped with 

 one of the actors in his lodgings in Arlington 

 Street, near the theatre. We were joined at 

 table by a fellow-lodger of my friend, who seemed 

 to know nothing but what savoured of the turf, 

 and he was so complaisant as to tell me the 

 names of several horses which were pretty 

 certain to win, and, as I know, did win some of 

 the coming events. Being invited, we shared 

 a bottle of capital claret along with him in his 

 " den," as he called his parlour, in which I noted, 

 scattered about, some dozens of newspapers and 

 especially several copies of Bell's Life. 



When opportunity offered I asked my friend 

 who his fellow-lodger was. " Well," hereplied, 

 " he is, or rather has been, on the press, 

 having some three or four years ago been con- 

 nected with one or other of the minor weekly 

 publications ; but he is now, he tells me, playing 

 a far more profitable part ; he has become a racing 

 tipster and makes a good income at that business. 

 His plan is to select about ten or a dozen of 

 the most likely horses and send a different one 

 to win the race and another, or perhaps two 

 others, to get places, to each of his customers, 

 taking care, of course, to keep a record of what 

 he does, and the names and addresses of 

 those who correspond with him. 



" Two or three years ago he made quite 

 a hit with a horse called Little Wonder, which, 

 as I dare say you know, won a Derby. That 

 event, my dear boy, set him on his legs ; the 

 landlord of the big gin-palace not far from here, 

 who won a good round sum by means of his 



