The String of Pearls; Or, The Barber of Fleet Street. A Domestic Romance.

condition, Todd began to be particular, and then he laid down, as it were, one proposition or fact which he intended should be the groundwork of all in other proceedings. That proposition was contained in the words-- "Before the dawn of to-morrow I must be off!" "That's settled," said Todd, and he gave the table a blow with his hand. "Yes, that's settled." The table creaked ominously, and Todd rose to peep into the shop to see what his boy was doing. Charley Green, alias, Johanna Oakley, was sitting upon a low stool reading a bill that some one had thrown into the shop, and which detailed the merits of some merchandize. How far away from the contents of that bill which she held before her face, were her thoughts? "Good," said Todd. "That boy, at all events, suspects nothing, and yet his death is one of the things which had better not be left to chance. He shall fall in the general way of this place. What proper feeling errand-boy would wish to survive his master's absence. Ha!" Of late Todd had not been very profuse in his laughs, but now he came out with one quite of the old sort. The sound startled himself, and he retired to the table again. By the dim light he opened a desk and supplied himself with writing materials; the twilight was creeping on, and he could only just see. Spreading a piece of paper before him, he proceeded to make a memoranda of what he had to do. It was no bad plan this of Todd's, and the paper, when it was finished was quite a curiosity in its way. It ran thus-- _Mem._--To go to Colonel Jeffery's, and by some means get into the house and murder Tobias. _Mem._--To pack off goods to the wharf where the Hamburg vessel, called the Dianna, sails from. _Mem._--To arrange combustibles for setting fire to the house. _Mem._--To cut Charley Green's throat, if any suspicion arise--if not to let him be smothered in the fire. _Mem._--To have a letter ready to post to Sir Richard Blunt, the magistrate, accusing Mrs. Lovett of her own crimes, and mine likewise. "I think that is all," said Todd. He folded the paper and placed it in his bosom, after which he came out of the parlour into the shop, and called to Johanna. "Charles?" "Yes, sir." "Go to the market, and get me a couple of stout porter--I want something carried a short distance." "Yes, sir." Away went Johanna, but before she got half way down to Fleet Market she met Sir Richard, who said-- "What is it?" "He wants a couple of porters to carry something." "Very well, get them. Depend upon me." "I do, sir. I feel now in good heart to go through with anything, for you are near to me, and I know that I am safe." "You are safe. It will need to be some very extraordinary circumstances, indeed, that could compromise you. But go at once for these porters; I, and my men will take good care to find where they go to." There was no difficulty in finding parties in abundance at the end of Fleet Market, and Johanna speedily returned, followed by two sturdy fellows. Todd had quite a smile upon his face, as he received them. "This way," he said--"This way. I hope you have been lucky to day, and have had plenty of work." "No, master," said one, "we haven't, I'm sorry to say." "Indeed," added Todd. "Well, I am very glad I have a little job for you. You see these two little boxes. You can carry one each of you, and I will go with you and show you where to." One of the porters raised one of the boxes, and then he gave a long whistle, as he said-- "I say, master is there penny pieces or paving stones in this here, its deuced heavy, that it is." "And so is this, Bill," said the other. "Oh, my eyes ain't it. There must be a quarter of a pound of goose feathers in here." "Ha! ha!" said Todd, "How funny you both are." "Funny?" "Yes, to be sure, but come. This will put strength into you if you had none before." He took a bottle and glass from a cupboard, and gave each of the men a full measure of such frightfully strong spirits, that they winked again, and the tears came into their eyes, as they drank it. "Now shoulder the little boxes, and come along," he said, "and I tell you what I'll do. If you step in here in the evening, and I should happen to be at home, I'll give each of you a shave for nothing, and polish you off in such a manner, that you will recollect it as long you live." "Thank you, master--thank you. We'll come." One of the porters helped his companion with the chest on to his back and head, and Todd then lent a helping hand with the other. "Charley," he said. "I shall be back in a quarter of an hour." Away he went, preceding the porter by some half dozen steps only, but yet ever and anon keeping a wary eye upon the two chests, which contained cash, and jewels, sufficient to found a little kingdom. If he got clear off with those two chests only, he felt that he would not give himself much uneasiness about what was left behind. But was Todd going to trust these two porters from out his own immediate neighbourhood, with the secret of the destination of the boxes? No. He was by far too crafty for that. After proceeding some distance, he took them round the unfrequented side of St. Paul's Church yard, and stopping suddenly at the door of a house that was to let, he said-- "This will do." "In here, master." "This will do. Put them down." The porters complied, and Todd set down upon one of the boxes, as he said-- "How much?" "A shilling each of us, master." "There's double the money, and now be off, both of you, about your business." The porters were rather surprised, but as they considered themselves sufficiently paid, they made no objection, and walked off with considerable alacrity, leaving Todd, and his treasure in the street. "Now for a coach," he muttered. "Now for a coach. Here boy"--to a ragged boy who was creeping on at some short distance. "Earn a penny by fetching me a coach directly." The boy darted off, and in a very few minutes brought Todd a hackney coach. The boxes, too, were got upon it by the united efforts of Todd, the coachman, and the boy, and then, and not till then did Todd give the correct address of the wharf in Thames Street from which the Hamburg ship was going, and in which he fully intended to embark that night. The ship was advertised to sail at the turn of the tide, which would be about four o'clock in the morning. All this did not take long to do. The coach rumbled along Thames Street, but Todd was not aware that Mr. Crotchet had got up behind the vehicle, but such was the fact, and when the lumbering old machine stopped at the wharf, that gentleman got down, and felt quite satisfied with the discovery he had made. "He's a trying of it on," soliloquised Mr. Crotchet in the bolting line, "but it ain't no manner of a go. He'll swing, and he can't help it, if he were to book himself to the moon, and there was a coach or a ship as went all the way, and no stoppages." "_Mem_," said Todd to himself. "To go to Colonel Jeffery's and murder Tobias--Ha!" "Lor!" said the coachman, "was that you, sir?" "What do you mean?" "Why as made that horrid sort of noise." "Mind your business, my friend, and tell me if you can take me quickly to Islington, for I have no time to lose." "Like the wind, sir, you can go with these here _osses_," replied the coachman, "did you ever see sich bits o' blood, sir, one on 'ems blind, and' t'other on 'em is deaf, which is advantages as you don't get in one pair." "Advantages?" "Lor bless you, yes, sir. The blind 'un goes unknown quick, cos you sees, sir, he thinks he's only in some dark place, and in course he wants to get out on it as soon as he can." "Indeed?" "Yes, sir, and the deaf 'un, he goes quick too, cos as he hears nothink, he thinks as there never was sich a quiet place as he's go's, and he does it out o' feeling and gratitude, sir, yer sees." "Be quick then, and charge your own price." Todd sprang into the vehicle, and stimulated by the idea of charging his own price, the coachman certainly did make the bits of blood do wonders, and in quite an incredibly short space of time, Todd found himself in the immediate neighbourhood of the Colonel's house. It was now getting dark, but that was what he wished. He dismissed the coach, and took from the angle of a wall, near at hand, a long and earnest look at the Colonel's house, and as he did so dark and hideous thoughts concerning Tobias passed through his mind. CHAPTER LXXXII. TODD VISITS THE COLONEL "Well, Tobias," said Colonel Jeffery, as he entered the pretty, cheerful room into which the now convalescent boy had been removed. "Well, Tobias, how are you now?" "Much better, sir. Oh, sir,--I--I--" "What would you say?" "I feel that when I see you, sir, I ought to say so much to convince you of how truly, and deeply grateful I am to you, and yet I can scarcely ever say a word about it. I pray for your happiness, sir, indeed I do. Your name and my mother's, and--and Minna Gray's, are always uttered to God by me." "Now, Tobias," said Colonel Jeffery gravely. "I am quite satisfied that as regards all that has passed, you feel as you ought to feel, and for my own part, I beg you to feel and to know that your saying anything about it only distresses me." "Distresses you, sir?" "Yes, it does, indeed. I see your eyes are upon the door. You expect Minna, to day, I am sure." "Yes, sir,--she--she--my mother was to bring her, sir." A ringing at a bell now came upon Tobias's ear, and his colour went and came fitfully. "You are still very weak, my poor boy," said the colonel, "but you are certainly much improved. Do you feel any confusion in your head now?" "None at all, only when I think of Todd suddenly, ever it makes me feel cold and sick, and something seems to rush through my heart." "Oh, that will go away. That is nothing. There, I will draw up the blind for you. The evening is coming, and the sky is overclouded. You can see better now, and there is one coming whom I know you wish to lose no sight of." "I hear her foot upon the stairs," said Tobias. "Do you?--It is more than I do." "Ah, sir, the senses are sharpened, I think, by illness." "Not so much as by love. Tobias! do you hear her footstep now?" "Yes, and it is like music." He had his head on one side in an attitude of listening; and then with joy sparkling from every feature of his face, he spoke again-- "She comes--she comes. Ah, she comes fast. My own--my beautiful. She come--she comes." "This is real love," said the colonel, and he stepped from the room. Nearly on the landing at the head of the stairs, he met Minna Gray. "Welcome," he said as he held out his hand to her. "You will find your young friend up and much better." Minna could only look her thanks. Mrs. Ragg was following her, and as the ascent of stairs was always rather a task to that good Lady, she was making a noise like a stranded grampus in breathing. "Ah, colonel," she said, "young legs get up stairs faster than old ones, sir, as you see. Well--well, there was a time when first I knew poor dear Ragg, who is of course dead and gone, quite premature." "Exactly, Mrs. Ragg," said the colonel, as he rapidly descended the stairs. "Did you ever, my dear, know such a strange man?" said Mrs. Ragg to Minna. "Who?" "The colonel, to be sure. So soon as I begin to tell him any little what do you call it. No it ain't _nannygoat_--that's ridiculous. It's--it's--what is it?" "Anecdote do you mean, Mrs. Ragg?" "Yes, to be sure. Well, as I was a saying, no sooner do I begin telling him a little nannygoat--no, I mean anecdote, than off he is like a shot."