Memoirs Of Joseph Grimaldi

20 . MEMOIRS OF JOSEPH GKIMALDI.

When he got safely home at night, the father referred to his
watch, and finding that he had returned homo punctual to the
appointed time, kissed him, extolled him for paying suoli strict
attention to his instructions, examined his dress, discovered
satisfactorily that no injury had been done to Ms clothes, and
concluded by asldng for the key of the " fortune-box," and the
guinea. The boy, at first, quite forgot the morning adventure;
but, after rummaging his pockets for the guinea, and not find-
ing'it, he recollected what had occurred, and, falling upon the
knees of the knee-smalls, confessed it aU, and implored for-
giveness.

The father was puzzled; he was always giving: away money
in charity himself, and he could scarcely reprimand the child
for doing the same. He looked at him for some seconds with a
perplexed countenance, and then, contenting himself with simply
saying, " I'll beat you," sent him to bed.

Among the eccentricities of the old gentleman, one—certainly
not his most amiable one—was, that whatever he promised ho
performed; and that when, as in this case, he promised to thrash
fiie boy, he would very coolly let the matter stand over for
monlshs, but never forget it in the end. This was ingenio\is>
inasmuch as it doubled, or trebled, or quadrupled the punish-
ment, giving the unhappy little victim all the additional pain
<f *\ of anticipating it for a long time, with the certainty of enduring

itinthe end. Four or five months after this occurrence, and
wlpi the child had not given his father any new cause of
<sfea.ce,, he suddenly called him to Mm one day, and comnruni-
e*M tie intelligence that he was going to beat him forthwith.
Hie hoy began to cry most piteously, and faltered
inquiry, " Oh! father, what for!"—" Ilemember the
guinea I* said the father. And he gave him a caning which he
remembered, to the last day of his life.

'The family consisted at this time of the father, mother, Joe,
Ms only brother John Baptist, three or four female servants,at year, and not at Christ-