70

MEMOIRS OF JOSEPH GBIMALBI.

Ms Mends as well as himself, hated Grimaldi most cordially,
and the meeting was consequently by no means an agreeable one
to Mm; for if he had chanced to set eyes upon Miss Hughes,
great miseMef-makiag and turmoil would be the inevitable
consequence.

"In the name of wonder, Grimaldi," said tMs agreeable cha-
racter, " what are you doing here ?"

"Going back to London," replied Grrimaldi, "as I suppose
most of us are."

" That is not what I meant," said De Cleve : " what I meant
was, to ask you what business might have taken you to Graves-
end ?"

"Oh! no business at all," replied the other: "directly I
landed, I went off by the tide-coach to Chatham.."

"Indeed!" said the other.

"Yes," said Grrimaldi.

The treasurer looked rather puzzled at tMs, sufficiently show-
ing by Ms manner that he had been hunting about Gravesend
all day in search of the young man. He remained silent a short
time, and then said, " I only asked because I thought you might
have had a dinner engagement at Gravesend, perhaps,—with a
young lady, even. "Who knows ?"

TMs little sarcasm on the part of the worthy treasurer con-
vinced Grimaldi, that having somewhere picked up the informa-
tion that Miss Hughes was at Gravesend, and having heard
afterwards from Mrs. Lewis, or somebody at the theatre, that
Grimaldi was going to the same place, he had followed Mm
ftifeer with the amiable intention of playing the spy, and
watcMng his proceedings. If he had observed the young people
together, his miscMevous intentions would have been completely
successful; but the tide-coach had balked him, and Mr. De
Cleve's good-natured arrangements were futile.

Grimaldi laughed in Ms sleeve as the real state of the case
presented itself to Ms mind; and feeling well pleased that heirst and second floors were