Clowns -- Great Britain -- Biography; Grimaldi, Joseph, 1779-1837
"Just so," replied he. "I'll tell you how it is. I've ascertained that
there's one place vacant inside, and that the coach belongs to our
landlady. Now, I mean to remind her what a deal of money we have spent
in the house; to tell her that I shall be soon coming here again; and
to put it to her, whether she wont let me ride at least a part of the
way inside."
Grimaldi was not a little offended and vexed by this communication,
feeling that, as they had been stopping at the house as companions
and friends, he was rather involved in the shabbiness of his
fellow-traveller. His angry remonstrances, however, produced not the
slightest effect. Bologna acted precisely as he had threatened, and
received permission from the good lady of the house, who was evidently
much surprised at the application, to occupy the vacant inside place;
it being stipulated and understood on both sides, that if anywhere on
the road a passenger were found requiring an inside place, Bologna
should either give up his, or pay the regular fare on to London.
As Grimaldi could not prevent this arrangement, he was compelled to
listen to it with a good grace. The manager, who came to see them off,
brought 100_l._ for Grimaldi, all in three-shilling pieces, packed
up in a large brown-paper parcel; and this part of the luggage being
stowed in the coach-pocket, away they went, Bologna congratulating
himself on his diplomacy, and Grimaldi consoling himself with the
reflection that he should know how to avoid him in future, and that he
was now, at least, safe from any further exhibition of his parsimony
during the journey. The former resolution he kept, but in the latter
conclusion he was desperately wrong.
It was evening when they started, and at four o'clock in the morning,
when they stopped to change horses, a customer for an inside place
presented himself; whereupon the driver, opening the coach-door,
civilly reminded Bologna of the conditions upon which he held his seat.
Bologna was fast asleep the first time the man spoke, and, having been
roused, had the matter explained to him once more; upon which he sat
bolt upright in the coach, and repeating all the man had said, inquired
with great distinctness whether he understood it to be put to him, that
he must either pay the inside fare, or get out.
"That's it, sir," said the coachman.
"Very well," said Bologna, without the slightest alteration of tone or
manner; "then I shall do neither the one nor the other."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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