Clowns -- Great Britain -- Biography; Grimaldi, Joseph, 1779-1837
The mystery is cleared up, chiefly through the instrumentality of
Mr. Alderman Harmer; and the characters of the six Ladies and
the six Gentlemen are satisfactorily explained. The Trial of
Mackintosh for Burglary--Its result.
About three weeks had elapsed since the last dinner in
Throgmorton-street, during the whole of which time nothing had been
seen or heard either of the six ladies or of the six gentlemen, when,
as Grimaldi was sitting reading in his parlour, a strange gentleman was
shown into the room. As he was accustomed to be waited upon by many
people of whom he knew nothing, he requested the gentleman to take a
chair, and after a few commonplace remarks upon the weather and the
papers, begged to ask his business with him.
"Why, my business with you, Mr. Grimaldi," said the stranger, putting
down his hat, as if he had come to stop a long time, "is of a very
peculiar nature. Perhaps I had better commence by telling you who I am.
My name is Harmer."
"Harmer?" said Grimaldi, running over in his mind all the theatrical
names he had ever heard.
"Mr. James Harmer, of Hatton Garden. The reason of my waiting upon you
is this,--I wish to speak to you upon a very disagreeable affair."
There was a peculiar solemnity in the visitor's manner, although it
was very gentlemanly and quiet, which at once threw Grimaldi into
a state of great nervous excitement. He entreated him, with a very
disturbed countenance, to be kind enough to explain the nature of the
communication he had to make, as explicitly as he could.
"To come, then, at once to the point," said Mr. Harmer,--"do you not
know a person of the name of Mackintosh?"
"Yes, certainly," replied Grimaldi, his thoughts flying off at a
tangent, first to Throgmorton-street, and then to the ladies and
gentlemen in Charlotte-street--"oh yes, I know him."
"He is now," said Mr. Harmer, solemnly, "in great danger of losing his
life."
Grimaldi at once supposed his visitor was a doctor, said he was very
sorry to hear it, asked how long he had been ill, and begged to know
what was the matter with him.
"His bodily health is good enough," replied Mr. Harmer, with a
half-smile. "In the course of my professional career, Mr. Grimaldi, I
have known many men in imminent danger of losing their lives, who have
been in most robust health."
Grimaldi bowed his head, and presumed his visitor referred to cases
in which the patient had gone off suddenly. Mr. Harmer said that he
certainly did, and that he had strong reason to fear Mr. Mackintosh
would go off one morning very suddenly indeed.
"I greatly regret to hear it," said the other. "But pray tell me his
condition without reserve: you may safely be communicative to me. What
is the nature of the disorder? what is it called?"
"Burglary," answered Mr. Harmer, quaintly.
"Burglary!" exclaimed Grimaldi, trembling from head to foot.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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