BETTING HOUSES 47 



bitter, when I was accosted by a friend whom I 

 happened to know very well. This was no other 

 than 'Charley Boyce,' the jockey. After some 

 Sfeneral conversation he asked me what horse I 

 thought would win to-morrow. I said, ' Of course, 

 the favourite, Hobbie Noble.' He replied : ' I 

 can give you the greatest certainty possible, your 

 horse can't win. If you will be guided by me, you 

 will put 5/. on Daniel O'Rourke ; you may 

 depend upon it, he will be first past the post.' To 

 this I demurred. He said, ' I might just as well go 

 home with a hundred pounds in my pocket as not. 

 You can get 20 or 25 to 1 about him, and if you 

 won't have a fiver, have just one sovereign, as there 

 are plenty of houses near here that will doit.' It 

 should be noticed that at that period more than 

 half the houses, whether public bars, hairdressers, 

 tobacconists, confectioners, &c., &c., were all 

 betting houses ; and it was the existence of these 

 places, which had sprung up all over London, that 

 compelled the Legislature to pass the Act for sup- 

 pression of list betting. I foolishly refused to take 

 Charley's ' tip,' and retired to my friend's house at 

 Roehampton, where I was staying. We had 

 chartered an omnibus to take us on to the course — 

 there were twelve of us — and we agreed to have a 

 draw, putting down los., viz. — 5/. for the first and 

 i/. for the second. It was surprising to me that I 

 drew Daniel ff Rourke ! Such was my prejudice 

 against the horse, that I sold him for lo^-., the 

 amount I had ventured. The race has been so 



