The String of Pearls; Or, The Barber of Fleet Street. A Domestic Romance.
It was quite a treat now to Todd, and put him in mind of old times, to
arrange his apparatus for giving this wretched man a tumble into the
vaults below. He went into the parlour and drew the bolt, when away went
the man and the chair, and the other chair that was on the reverse side
of the plank took the place of that which had gone.
"Ha! ha!" shouted Todd. "This is grand--this is most glorious! Ha! ha!
Who would have thought, now, that I should ever live to be at my old
work again in this house? It is capital! If that fall has not broken his
neck, it's a wonder. It used to kill five out of seven; that was about
the average--ha!"
Todd didn't fasten the bolt again, but went at once for the other man.
He was sitting up!
Todd staggered back for a moment, when he saw him in that position
looking at him. The man rubbed his eyes with his hands and said in a
weak voice--
"Good God! what is it all about?"
Todd placed the light on the floor within the parlour, so that it shed
sufficient rays into the shop to let him see every object in it; and
then, with a cry like that of some wild beast rushing upon his prey, he
dashed at the man.
The struggle that ensued was a frightful one. Despair, and a feeling
that he was fighting for his life, nerved the man, who had recovered
just in time to engage in such a contest, and they both fought their way
into the shop together. Todd made the greatest exertions to overcome the
man, but it was not until he got him by the throat, and held him with a
clutch of iron, that he could do so. Then he flung him upon the chair,
but the man, with a last effort, dragged Todd after him, and down they
both went together to the vault below!
CHAPTER CXLVII.
SIR RICHARD BLUNT AND CROTCHET COMMENCE THEIR SEARCH FOR TODD.
When Sir Richard Blunt left Chelsea, he felt that he had given a
sufficient warning to all who could feel in any way personally
interested in the escape of Sweeney Todd from the punishment that his
numerous crimes merited.
He rode direct to the office of the Under Secretary of State for the
Home Department, and his name at once procured him an interview. This
was not the supercilious personage who once before, upon an occasion of
Sir Richard Blunt calling upon him regarding Sweeney Todd, had exhibited
so much indifference upon the subject, and Sir Richard was received as
he ought to be.
"I have waited upon you, sir," said the magistrate, "to say that I have
now made every arrangement that is possible for the purpose of
counteracting any mischief that the man, Todd, might strive to do; and I
think it very likely that I may not have the pleasure of seeing or
communicating with you for some time."
"Then you still think, Sir Richard, of going personally after the
notorious ruffian?"
"I do, sir. I feel that in some sort I am bound to rid society of that
man. I had so large a share in his former apprehension, and in his
conviction, that I feel his escape quite a personal matter; and I have
no hesitation in saying that I shall not feel at ease until I have again
placed him in the hands of the law."
"It is most desirable that he should be so placed, Sir Richard, and I
have only two things to say to you upon the subject. One is, that I hope
you will be careful of your own safety in the affair; and the other is,
that anything we can do or any facilities we can throw in your way, you
may most unhesitatingly command in the prosecution of your most
praiseworthy enterprise."
"I thank you, sir. I shall take one man with me. His name is Crotchet;
and I should wish that in your name I might tell him that, in the event
of our search for Todd being successful, he may count upon an adequate
reward."
"Certainly! He shall have the whole reward, Sir Richard; and as for
yourself, the ministry will not be unmindful of your service in a way
that I am sure will be more gratifying to you than an offer of money."
"Sir, I thank you. The government has already, upon more than two or
three occasions, been sufficiently liberal to me as regards money to
place me in a good position, and I have now no further desires of that
sort. I will bid you good morning, sir, and at once start upon the
expedition in search of Sweeney Todd. If he be alive and above ground in
this country, I will have him."
"If anybody will, you will, Sir Richard."
The magistrate left the place, and repaired at once to his private
office, which was close at hand, in Craven Street. There our old friend,
Crotchet, was waiting for him.
"Well, Crotchet," said Sir Richard, "I have just seen the Secretary of
State, and if we catch Todd, you are to have all the money."
"All on it, sir? Oh, my eye! No, I doesn't want all on it, Sir Richard.
I isn't a pig."
"I never thought you were, Crotchet; but you may make up your mind to
the whole of the reward, as the government will provide for me in
another way; so you know now, at starting, what you have to expect, and
it will keep you in good heart during all the botheration we may have in
looking after this man."
"Why, so it will, sir, you see, so it will, and if I do catch him and
get all this tin as is offered as a reward for him, I shall retire from
the grabbing business, you see, sir."
"What will you do then, Crotchet?"
"Set up a public-house, sir, and call it 'The Crotchet's Arms,' to be
sure. That's the sort of ticket for me."
"Well, Crotchet, you will be quite at liberty to do what you like; and
now let us at once start on our errand. We will, from the door of
Newgate, see if we cannot trace the progress of this man, with his new
friend, that rascal, Lupin."
A tap sounded on the panel of the door of the room in which Crotchet and
Sir Richard were conversing.
"Come in," said the magistrate, and his clerk entered with a written
paper in his hand.
"Here, sir," he said, "is a report from a city officer, which will give
a clue to the route that Todd and Lupin have taken, sir."
"Ah, that is welcome. Let me see it. 'Two men broke into the house of
Alderman Stanhope; one a tall man with a large face--the other,
shorter.' Humph! Not a doubt of it. I will go and see about it. No doubt
it was Todd and his new friend Lupin. This is something of a clue, at
all events however slight, and may, after all, put us upon the right
track. Come on, Crotchet, we will do the best we can in this matter.
Have you your pistols in good order?"
"Yes, yer honour, and a pair of darbies in my pocket, that if once they
get on the wrists of old Todd, he will find it no such easy matter to
get them off again."
"That is right. I only want to get face to face with the ruffian, and
then I will engage that he shall not be much further trouble to society
or to individuals."
Sir Richard Blunt and Crotchet proceeded then at once to the house in
the City, into which Lupin and Todd, it will be recollected, had made a
violent entry, and from which they had been so gallantly repulsed by the
young lady. Then, from the description of the assailants, not a shadow
of a doubt remained upon the magistrate's mind that they were the
parties he sought; but there all clue seemed to be lost.
He and Crotchet stood in the street looking about them rather
despairingly; and then they thought of going to the round-house close to
Finsbury; and when they got there, they found an officer, who reported
that two men answering the description of the fugitives had been seen
making their way westward; and he had met a woman who had passed them,
and who had heard the words "money," and "Caen Wood."
This was, in good truth, most important intelligence, if it could be
relied upon; and that was the only kind of doubt that Sir Richard had.
He spoke to Crotchet about it.
"What do you think, Crotchet? Is it worth while to follow this seeming
clue to Highgate?"
"Yes, yer honour, it is. We can go there and back again while we are
considering about it here. It's clear enough as we shan't get any other
news in this part of the town; and so I advises that we go off at once
to Highgate, and calls at every public-house on the road."
"Every public-house?"
"Yes, yer honour. Todd won't do without his drops of something strong to
keep him a-going. These kind of feelings go down--down, till they
haven't the heart to say don't, when the hangman puts the noose round
their necks, if they haven't their drops. It's brandy, yer worship, as
keeps 'em a going."
"I do believe, Crotchet, that there is a great deal of truth in what you
say; and that it is only by use of stimulants that they keep up a kind
of artificial strength, as well as drowning reflection; and so they go
blundering on in the career of crime."
"You may depend upon it, sir. They'd cut their own throats in a week, If
it wasn't for the tipple, yer honour."
Acting then upon the practical advice of Crotchet, which in a great
measure accorded with his own convictions, Sir Richard Blunt repaired to
a livery-stable, and hired two good horses. He found no difficulty in
getting them, upon declaring who he was; and so, well mounted, he and
Crotchet went upon the very road that had been so recently traversed by
the two culprits, Todd and Lupin.
At the first public-house they came to they got no news; but at the
second they were told, that two men, answering the description they gave
of those they sought, had called and had some brandy.
The magistrate no longer doubted but that he was upon the right track
now. With such a feeling, he pushed on, making what inquiries he could
on the road; but until Highgate was reached they got no further news,
and then, by dint of diligent ferreting out, they found a woman who had
seen two men go down Swains Lane, and from the description she gave of
them, there could be no doubt but that they were Todd and Lupin. Now as
Swains Lane led direct to Caen Wood, it was a great confirmation of the
former intelligence; and Sir Richard made up his mind to search the
wood, as well as it could be done by him and Crotchet.
They engaged a lad from Highgate to come with them, and to take care of
the horses, while they should go into the wood; but they did not say one
word to him regarding their object in going there, nor could he possibly
suspect it. Sir Richard and Crotchet both thought it would be much more
prudent to keep that to themselves, than to put it in the power of a boy
to gossip about it to every one who might chance to pass that way, while
he was minding the horses.
When the wood was reached, Sir Richard said to the lad--
"Now, my boy, we shall not be very long gone, but you will bear in mind
that if we are absent longer than you expected, you will be paid in
proportion; so don't be impatient, but walk the horses up and down this
bit of the lane; and think that you have got a very good job."
"Thank you, sir," said the boy. "Across that there meadow is the nearest
way to the wood. I seed two fellows go that way, early this morning, and
one on 'em was the ugliest fellow I ever saw, and he calls out to the
other--'Come along Lupin, we shall be all right in the wood now. Come
along, Lupin--Ha! ha!'"
"You heard that?"
"Yes, sir, I did. You see, I was sloe-gathering in the hedge, and they
don't let you do it, cos they say you breaks down all the young twigs,
and spoils the hedge, and so you does; and so, sir, when I heard
footsteps a-coming, I hid myself right down among the long grass, so
that they did not see me."
Mr. Crotchet gave a long whistle.
"Very good," said Sir Richard; "we shall be back with you soon. You take
good care of the horses."
"I will, sir."
"What do you think of that, Crotchet?" said Sir Richard, as they made