Clowns -- Great Britain -- Biography; Grimaldi, Joseph, 1779-1837
On the road, Bologna told his friend that the gentleman whom, they
were going down to visit was an individual of the name of Mackintosh;
that he was understood to be wholly unconnected with any business or
profession, that he was a large landed proprietor, and that he had most
splendid preserves. The intelligence pleased Grimaldi very much, as he
looked forward to a very stylish visit, and felt quite elated with the
idea of cultivating the acquaintance of so great a man.
"I have never seen his place myself," said Bologna; "but when he is in
London, he is always about the theatres, and he has often asked me to
come down and have some shooting."
They were talking thus, when they arrived at Bromley, which was about
two miles and a half from the place to which they were bound. Here they
met a man in a fustian jacket, driving a tax-cart, drawn by a very lame
little horse, who suddenly pulled up, hailed the party with a loud
"Hallo!" and a "Well, Joe, here you are!"
Grimaldi was rather surprised at this intimate salutation from a
stranger; and he was a little more so when Bologna, after shaking hands
very heartily with the man in fustian, introduced him as the identical
Mr. Mackintosh whom they were going down to visit.
"I'm glad to see you, Joe," said Mr. Mackintosh with an air of
patronage. "I thought I'd meet you here and show you the way."
Grimaldi made some suitable acknowledgments for this politeness, and
the tax-cart and the gig went on together.
"I am sorry you have hit upon a bad day for coming down here, so far as
the shooting goes," said Mackintosh, "for to-morrow is a general fast.
At any rate you can walk about and look at the country; and the next
day--the next day--wont we astonish the natives!"
"Are there plenty of birds this year?" inquired Bologna.
"Lots--lots," replied the other man, whose manner and appearance scarce
bore out Grimaldi's preconceived notion of the gentleman they were
going to visit. If he were already surprised, however, he had much
greater cause to be so eventually.
After travelling upwards of two miles, Bologna inquired if they were
not near their place of destination.
"Certainly," answered Mackintosh; "that is my house."
Looking in the direction pointed out, their eyes were greeted with the
appearance of a small road-side public-house, in front of which hung a
sign-board, bearing the words "Good entertainment for man and beast"
painted on it, and beneath the name of "Mackintosh." Bologna looked
at Grimaldi, and then at the public-house, and then at the man in the
fustian jacket; but he was far too much engaged in contemplating with
evident satisfaction the diminutive dwelling they were approaching,
to regard the surprise of his companions. "Yes," he said, "that
house contains the best of wines, ales, beds, tobacco, stabling,
skittle-grounds, and every other luxury."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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