The String of Pearls; Or, The Barber of Fleet Street. A Domestic Romance.
"It was the will of Providence," said Lupin. "But who is this? Stand
aside, Todd, and let this old gentleman pass on. We may as well not be
seen and described by any one."
"Do you think he may likely have enough about him," whispered Todd, "to
pay our expenses for the day?"
"A lucky thought. It is more than likely that he has. Knock him down and
rob him, Todd. There's not a soul in sight. Give him one of the knocks
you used to give the poor devils you made the pies of, you know."
"Be quiet," said Todd, "I am amazed that a man of your profound sense
and sagacity, should give ear to such idle rumours about me! I am really
both shocked and surprised, Mr. Lupin!"
"Amen!" said Lupin. "You rob the old man, and we won't quarrel about any
such nonsense, Todd. Here he comes, grinning like an old polecat. What
business has a man of that age out at such a time as this?"
"None," said Todd, "except to provide us with a little money."
Todd cast a keen glance around him, and was convinced that the report of
Mr. Lupin that no one was in sight was quite correct, so he stepped up
to the old man, and said--
"Good morning, sir."
"Thieves! thieves!" cried the old man, and began to run, but Todd put
out one of his long legs and tripped him up. Then pouncing upon him, he
extracted a well-filled purse from his pocket, and holding it up to
Lupin, he said--
"This will do?"
"Rather," replied Lupin. "Come on."
Off set Lupin again on a run, rather to the discomfiture of Todd, who
had not had such a scampering about for a long time indeed; but yet he
felt the necessity of getting as soon as possible out of the immediate
vicinity of the old man whom they had just robbed, so they did not stop
until they got right away on the northern side of Finsbury Square.
That side of the ancient square of Finsbury was not built then; and
beyond it, where there is now such a squalid and uninviting
neighbourhood, there was nothing but fields.
"Now," said Lupin. "Let us look at the purse!"
"Here it is," said Todd.
"It's very light!"
The fact was, that notwithstanding the speed at which he was compelled
to run to keep up with Lupin, or rather to keep a few paces only behind
him, Todd had contrived to abstract the better part of the contents from
the purse, and to pocket them; for the story with which he had tickled
the ears of Lupin of his having any money concealed in Caen Wood,
Hampstead, was a mere delusion, got up for the purpose of making him,
Lupin, more than commonly solicitous concerning his, Todd's, safety in
the escape from Newgate.
"Yes," replied Todd, "it is light, but such as it is it may be of some
service to us. Take it, Mr. Lupin, and you can be the treasurer: you
know I can trust to you."
"Implicitly," said Lupin, as turning out the contents of the purse into
his hand, he said--"Here are four guineas and a half, and about six or
seven shillings in loose silver."
"Better than nothing," said Todd, with a look of great philosophy. "Our
first care now is to get a breakfast."
"I don't know," said Lupin. "I took quite enough at the alderman's to
last me some time. I should say, get out of London as quickly as we
possibly can; and when we are at Caen Wood, we can, at our ease,
consider what course we will feel inclined to take with our money in our
pockets."
"A couple of thousands," said Todd.
"Exactly so. I move that we strike across the fields now at once, and
make for Highgate and Hampstead, so that at each step we shall be
leaving some danger behind us."
"Agreed," said Todd. "Come on! For my part I should like very much to
find a conveyance of some sort; but that, I suppose, is impossible."
"Quite! Besides, on foot we are much less likely to be recognised and
described. Come on, Todd; you ought to be able to walk to Hampstead,
surely, after the little trifling exercise that you have had only."
"Trifling, do you call it?" said Todd, making one of his most hideous
faces. "Trifling! I have not a bone in my body that don't ache.
Trifling? I am one mass of bruises from top to toe, and I never, in all
my life, felt so exhausted; but yet the love of life and of liberty will
lend me strength; so, come on; I will go on to Hampstead, and I will
reach it, my friend, unless I drop by the way."
"Well spoke," said Lupin.
They now pursued a course which led them rapidly by the back of the City
Road, and through the now well-populated district called Hoxton; and
keeping on in that way they crossed the high-road near to Stamford Hill,
and soon began to get a good view of the heights of Highgate and
Hampstead in the distance.
"Brandy," said Todd, "brandy!"
"Why, what's the matter?"
"My good friend, I can't get on without some brandy. I am rather used to
a little stimulant at times, so I must have it. Then we have no risk now
to run by going into a public-house."
"I don't know that, Todd. But if you can't do without, some brandy you
must have. To be sure, we are in luck's way, so far, that we are
provided with hats and coats from the alderman's hall, and, therefore,
people cannot have a description of us. The first quiet little hotel we
come to, Todd, I promise you that I will not object to our stopping at,
so that you may have your drop."
"Yes," said Todd, "that will do. My good friend, it is the only thing
that keeps me up. When I used to feel a little down in spirits I poured
some other spirits down, and then I get up again."
"Exactly. Here we are, at an old roadside house called the Adam and Eve,
which will be the very thing. They may take you for Adam and me for Cain
or Abel.--Come along."
They halted at the door of the little public-house, but upon going in
they found the landlord and landlady bargaining with a man who was
hawking something, and the following words came upon the startled ears
of Todd.
"Only threepence, sir, I assure you, and the most exact likeness of
Sweeney Todd, the murderer; taken while he was on his trial at the Old
Bailey. You will see what a look he has, and the artist has been most
successful in the squint: and only threepence."
"He will be hanged on Monday, of course?" said the publican's wife.
"Oh yes, ma'am, in course, and there's expected such a crowd as never
was known at the execution."
"No doubt of it. Well, I'll give twopence."
"And a drop of ale," said the publican.
"Here you are, master, you shall have it. A capital likeness. If you was
only now to catch a sight of the original Todd, you'd know him in a
moment by the look of this picture, particularly the squint."
"Come in," whispered Lupin to Todd.
"Oh no--no--I don't want the brandy now."
"But I do. Your speaking about it, has got me into the mind of wanting
some now; so come on and let us have it, my friend, at once. Why, you
are not afraid that the portrait is too good a likeness, are you?"
"Oh dear, I don't know," said Todd. "I believe I have a remarkable nose,
and rather an engaging look about the eyes.--Come along."
"A quartern of the best brandy," said Lupin.
Todd felt that now the safest thing he could do, was to brave the matter
out, as anything in the shape of a retreat would be much worse than
actually making an appearance at the bar of the public-house; and then
it was truly ridiculous to see the manner in which Todd strove to alter
the cast of his features, by protruding one lip, and putting on what he
thought as a kind of satisfied smirking smile, extremely difficult,
indeed, for his usual expression of face.
There was only one slight comfort he felt, and that was in the
circumstance that the news of their escape from Newgate had not yet
reached that place.
"A nice, bracing morning, gentlemen," said the publican.
"Very, by the goodness of providence," said Lupin.
"Amen!" said Todd.
"I have just, gentlemen, been buying a portrait of the execrable Todd;
and if either of you have happened to see him in London, perhaps you can
tell me if it is at all like the villain. We frighten our children now,
if they misbehave themselves at all, and tell them that Todd is coming
to make them into pies, and then they are as quiet as possible. Ha! ha!"
"How funny," said Todd,
"Well," said Lupin, as he looked at the twopenny portrait of Todd, with
a pretended critical air, "I don't think it's like him at all. I saw him
at Newgate; and my friend here, is more like him than this picture."
"You don't say so, sir?" said the landlord.
"He! he!" laughed Todd--"ho! ho!"
How he wished at that moment that he could have taken Lupin by the
throat and strangled him!
The brandy was duly discussed, and Lupin having paid for it out of the
contents of the old gentleman's purse, took a courteous adieu of the
landlord, and with Todd left the house.
"Gracious goodness!" exclaimed Todd, "how could you dream of saying what
you did about me at the bar?"
"My good friend, that was for the express purpose of drowning suspicion
for you. I saw the landlady staring at you most fixedly, and so I said
it on purpose, for fear she should really begin to think you could be no
other than Todd the murderer--the execrable Todd, with whom they
frighten the children."
"Oh, well," said Todd, "don't say anything more about it. I am quite
satisfied. Indeed, I am more than satisfied, my dear friend."
"I thought you would be, when you come to think--"
"Oh, dear, yes."
"You may depend, Todd, that the greatest safety always runs alongside of
the greatest danger; and that when you think that your fortunes are at
the lowest, you may not unfrequently be upon the point of a highly
favourable change: and it's all by the goodness of Providence."
"Bother you!" said Todd. "I do believe, if you were to live for a
hundred years, you would not forget your chapel experience."
"Perhaps not; but I made a good bit of money that way, taking one thing
with another, Mr. Todd."
CHAPTER CXXXVIII.
CAEN WOOD AND HAMPSTEAD IN THE OLD TIMES.
In such discourse as this, the precious pair beguiled the way to
Highgate, from which they proposed crossing to Hampstead.
Notwithstanding the liberal potations that they had taken at the
Alderman's house; and notwithstanding the brandy that had since been
discussed, they neither of them felt any the worse for the imbibition.
Probably, the active exercise they took carried off all bad effects.
But, certainly, when they reached Highgate, both Todd and Lupin were
hungry.
"Let us turn into the Old Gate-House Tavern," said Lupin.
"Don't you think a more obscure place," suggested Todd, "would be better
for us, as we do not by any means court popularity?"
"No; there is more safety in a large place like the Gate House, where
plenty of guests are coming and going continually, than in a little bit
of a public-house where we should be looked at, and scrutinised from top
to toe, from the moment we went in to the moment we came out."
"Very good," said Todd. "I think you reason well enough upon the point,
and I give in to your better judgment completely. Ah! my good friend, I
really don't know what I should have done at all without you."
"Been hanged!" said Lupin.
Todd gave a shudder, which was a tolerably convincing proof of how fully
he agreed in what Mr. Lupin said; and then they went into the Old
Gate-House Tavern, at Highgate, where they had a very plentiful
breakfast; and by getting into a corner of the room, in which they sat,
they did not attract any observation beyond the mere casual regards of
the visitors to the house.
Before they left though, Todd had the horror of hearing a great
confusion of voices in the passage, and in a few moments one of the
waiters came into the room, quite bursting with his news.
"Gentlemen," he said, "the notorious Todd, and a man named Lupin, who