box, after considerable delay, kindly came to the rescue. He had good reason for being reluctant to comply with the request of the manager, Calcraft, that he would sing. He had dined late, and whenever he had to appear either on the stage or on the concert platform, he invariably had dinner served for him at an early hour. Besides, he was incensed at what Willert Beale (who was concerned with Calcraft in that engagement) had said to him in the box, that his conduct was ungentlemanly in refusing to help Miss Hayes out of the difficulty. Beale was undoubtedly culpable in using that irritating expression, and it was surprising that Reeves sang with such effect under the circumstances. Little did those who witnessed the scene of disorder and delay expect to hear the voice of such an Edgardo, blending with that of such a Lucia. His opinion of her acting and singing of the parts is expressed in the before-named book, in the words—"She was the beau ideal of Lucia. With her I really felt myself 'Edgar of Ravenswood,' and she 'Lucy Ashton'—I have sang with many Lucias in my time, but Catherine Hayes was the sweetest of them all."
Cork and Limerick were visited, and on the occasion of the benefit night at Limerick, intense excitement prevailed. An eye-witness says of Catherine Hayes's departure—"The hotel was surrounded from an early hour, and it was with
