60 Saddle and Sirloin. 



more to complete the group — illustrious Aaron, who 

 listened over his pipe for fully six weeks to discus- 

 sions about the " Durham Letter," and then failing to 

 master the matter in hand, asked a friend in confi- 

 dence, " Who's this 'ere Colonel Wiseman they've been a 

 talking about?" Mr. Daley would occasionally take 

 to the harefoot again, and bring down the house as 

 Dennis Bulgruddery, Dr. O'Toole, or the first grave- 

 digger in " Hamlet," when any good local cause re- 

 quired a benefit ; and his Irish songs and recitations 

 were often heard at the trainers' parties during race 

 meetings, and the Albert Club at Carlisle. He was 

 very fond of racing, but he never studied it vigorously, 

 and always shrank from putting handicaps together. 

 Newcastle, Chester, and Liverpool were favourite 

 meetings with him, and we seldom "drew" the iron 

 seats under the grand stand portico blank for him on a 

 Doncaster Tuesday. 



He began life in an attorney's office, but he " did 

 not enjoy calf-skin," and finding himself a baritone 

 bird of song he wished to be a perspiring hero as well. 

 For many years he scarcely made 30^. a week, and 

 sometimes had " only my share of the candles," and 

 we have heard him recount how Mr. Sims Reeves was 

 the companion of this soldier of fortune life, with a 

 salary of the same dimensions and share of his poor 

 lodgings. Hopeless as matters then seemed, he was 

 always telling his young friend that he should turn his 

 mind to Italy and improve his " organ" there, and 

 that he would certainly beat everything out. When 

 that dream of Italy was fulfilled, he presented the 

 debutant with the costume in which he first took the 

 town by storm, as Edgardo in " Lucia di Lammer- 

 moor." In his hot youth Mr. Daley had a notion that 

 his own forte was tragedy, and he appeared as Othello 

 one or twice and "got a hand" to boot. Still the 

 manager didn't see it, and asked him if he couldn't be 

 " a Lord Mayor or something of that kind in future" — 



