The String of Pearls; Or, The Barber of Fleet Street. A Domestic Romance.
to convince the most sceptical of the truth and single-mindedness of its
owner: of this there could be no doubt whatever, and if anything in the
shape of a reproach was upon the point of coming from her lips, she
forbore to utter it.
"May I hope," he added, "that I have not lowered myself in your esteem,
Miss Oakley, by what I have said?"
"I hope," she said gently, "that you will continue to be my friend."
He laid an emphasis on the word "friend," and he fully understood what
she meant to imply thereby, and after a moment's pause said--
"Heaven forbid that ever, by word or by action, Johanna, I should do
aught to deprive myself of that privilege. Let me be yet your friend,
since--"
He left the sentence unfinished, but if he had added the words--"Since I
can do no more," he could not have made it more evident to Johanna that
those were the words he intended to utter.
"And now," he added, "that I hope and trust we understand each other
better than we did, and you are willing to call me by the name of
friend, let me once more ask of you, by the privilege of such a title,
to be careful of yourself, and not to risk much in order that you may,
perhaps, have some remote chance of achieving very little."
"But can I endure this dreadful suspense?"
"It is, alas! too common an infliction on human nature, Johanna. Pardon
me for addressing you as Johanna."
"Nay, it requires no excuse. I am accustomed so to be addressed by all
who feel a kindly interest for me. Call me Johanna if you will, and I
shall feel a greater assurance of your friendship and your esteem."
"I will then avail myself of that permission, and again and again I will
entreat you to leave to me the task of making what attempts may be made
to discover the fate of Mr. Thornhill. There must be danger even in
inquiring for him, if he has met with any foul play, and therefore I ask
you to let that danger be mine."
Johanna asked herself if she should or not tell him of the scheme of
operations that had been suggested by Arabella Wilmot, but, somehow or
another, she shrank most wonderfully from so doing, both on account of
the censure which she concluded he would be likely to cast upon it, and
the romantic, strange nature of the plan itself, so she said, gently and
quickly--
"I will attempt nothing that shall not have some possibility of success
attending it. I will be careful, you may depend, for many
considerations. My father, I know, centres all his affections in me, and
for his sake I will be careful."
"I shall be content then, and now may I hope that this day week I may
see you here again, in order that I may tell you if I have made any
discovery, and that you may tell me the same; for my interest in
Thornhill is that of a sincere friend, to say nothing of the deep
interest in your happiness which I feel, and which now has become an
element in the transaction of the highest value?"
"I will come," said Johanna, "if I can come."
"You do not doubt?"
"No, no. I will come, and I hope to bring you some news of him in whom
you are so much interested. It shall be no fault of mine if I come not."
He walked with her from the gardens, and together they passed the shop
of Sweeney Todd, but the door was close shut, and they saw nothing of
the barber, or of that poor boy, his apprentice, who was so much to be
pitied. He parted with Johanna near to her father's house, and he walked
slowly away with his mind so fully impressed with the excellence and
beauty of the spectacle-maker's daughter, that it was quite clear, as
long as he lived, he would not be able to rid himself of the favourable
impression she had made upon him.
"I love her," he said; "I love her, but she seems in no respect willing
to enchain her affections. Alas! alas! how sad it is for me, that the
being who above all others I could wish to call my own, instead of a joy
to me, I have only encountered that she might impart a pang to my heart.
Beautiful and excellent Johanna, I love you, but I can see that your own
affections are withered for ever."
CHAPTER XVI.
THE BARBER MAKES ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO SELL THE STRING OF PEARLS.
It would seem as if Sweeney Todd, after his adventure in already trying
to dispose of the string of pearls which he possessed, began to feel
little doubtful about his chances of success in that matter, for he
waited patiently for a considerable period before he again made the
attempt, and then he made it after a totally different fashion. Towards
the close of night on that same evening when Johanna Oakley had met
Colonel Jeffery, for the second time, in the Temple Garden, and while
Tobias sat alone in the shop in his usual deep dejection, a stranger
entered the place, with a large blue bag in his hand, and looked
inquiringly about him.
"Hilloa, my lad!" said he, "is this Mr. Todd's?"
"Yes," said Tobias; "but he is not at home. What do you want?"
"Well, I'll be hanged," said the man, "if this don't beat everything;
you don't mean to tell me he is a barber, do you?"
"Indeed I do; don't you see?"
"Yes, I see to be sure; but I'll be shot if I thought of it beforehand.
What do you think he has been doing?"
"Doing," said Tobias, with animation; "do you think he will be hung?"
"Why, no, I don't say it is a hanging matter, although you seem as if
you wished it was; but I'll just tell you now we are artists at the
west-end of the town."
"Artists! Do you mean to say you draw pictures?"
"No, no, we make clothes; but we call ourselves artists now, because
tailors are out of fashion."
"Oh, that's it, is it?"
"Yes, that's it; and you would scarcely believe it, but he came to our
shop actually, and ordered a suit of clothes, which were to come to no
less a sum than thirty pounds, and told us to make them up in such a
style that they were to do for any nobleman, and he gave his name and
address, as Mr. Todd, at this number in Fleet-street, but I hadn't the
least idea that he was a barber; if I had, I am quite certain the
clothes would not have been finished in the style they are, but quite
the reverse."
"Well," said Tobias, "I can't think what he wants such clothing for, but
I suppose it's all right. Was he a tall, ugly-looking fellow?"
"As ugly as the very devil. I'll just show you the things, as he is not
at home. The coat is of the finest velvet, lined with silk, and trimmed
with lace. Did you ever, in all your life, see such a coat for a
barber?"
"Indeed, I never did; but it is some scheme of his, of course. It is a
superb coat."
"Yes, and all the rest of the dress is of the same style; what on earth
he can be going to do with it I can't think, for it's only fit to go to
court in."
"Oh, well, I know nothing about it," said Tobias, with a sigh, "you can
leave it or not as you like, it is all one to me."
"Well, you do seem the most melancholy wretch ever I came near; what's
the matter with you?"
"The matter with me? Oh, nothing. Of course, I am as happy as I can be.
Ain't I Sweeney Todd's apprentice, and ain't that enough to make anybody
sing all day long?"
"It may be for all I know, but certainly you don't seem to be in a
singing humour; but, however, we artists cannot waste our time, so just
be so good as to take care of the clothes, and be sure you give them to
your master; and so I wash my hands of the transaction."
"Very good, he shall have them; but do you mean to leave such valuable
clothes without getting the money for them?"
"Not exactly, for they are paid for."
"Oh! that makes all the difference--he shall have them."
Scarcely had this tailor left the place, when a boy arrived with a
parcel, and, looking around him with undisguised astonishment, said--
"Isn't there some other Mr. Todd, in Fleet-street?"
"Not that I know of," said Tobias. "What have you got there?"
"Silk stockings, gloves, lace, cravats, ruffles, and so on."
"The deuce you have; I dare say it's all right."
"I shall leave them--they are paid for. This is the name, and this is
the number."
"Now, stupid!"
This last exclamation arose from the fact that this boy, in going out,
ran up against another who was coming in.
"Can't you see where you are going?" said the new arrival.
"What's that to you? I have a good mind to punch your head."
"Do it, and then come down our court, and see what a licking I'll give
you."
"Will you? Why don't you? Only let me catch you, that's all."
They stood for some moments so closely together that their noses very
nearly touched; and then, after mutual assertions of what they would do
if they caught each other--although, in either case, to stretch out an
arm would have been quite sufficient to have accomplished that
object--they separated, and the last comer said to Tobias, in a tone of
irritation, probably consequent upon the misunderstanding he had just
had with the hosier's boy--
"You can tell Mr. Todd that the carriage will be ready at half-past
seven precisely."
And then he went away, leaving Tobias in a state of great bewilderment
as to what Sweeney Todd could possibly be about to do with such an
amount of finery as that which was evidently coming home for him.
"I can't make it out," he said. "It's some villany, of course, but I
can't make out what it is--I wish I knew; I might thwart him in it. He
is a villain, and neither could nor would project anything good; but
what can I do? I am quite helpless in this, and will just let it take
its course. I can only wish for a power of action I shall never possess.
Alas, alas! I am very sad, and know not what will become of me. I wish
that I was in my grave, and there I am sure I shall be soon, unless
something happens to turn the tide of all this wretched evil fortune
that has come upon me."
It was in vain for Tobias to think of vexing himself with conjectures as
to what Sweeney Todd was about to do with so much finery, for he had not
the remotest foundation to go upon in the matter, and could not for the
life of him imagine any possible contingency or chance which should make
it necessary for the barber to deck himself in such gaudy apparel. All
he could do was to lay down in his own mind a general principle as
regarded Sweeney Todd's conduct, and that consisted in the fact, that
whatever might be his plans, and whatever might be his objects, they
were for no good purpose; but, on the contrary, were most certainly
intended for the accomplishment of some great evil which that most
villanous person intended to perpetrate.
"I will observe all I can," thought Tobias to himself, "and do what I
can to put a stop to his mischiefs; but I fear it will be very little he
will allow me to observe, and perhaps still less that he will allow me
to do; but I can but try, and do my best."
Poor Tobias's best, as regarded achieving anything against Sweeney Todd,
we may well suppose would be little indeed, for that individual was not
the man to give anybody an opportunity of doing much; and, possessed as
he was of the most consummate art, as well as the greatest possible
amount of unscrupulousness, there can be very little doubt but that any
attempt poor Tobias might make would recoil upon himself. In about half
an hour the barber returned, and his first question was--
"Have any things been left for me?"
"Yes, sir," said Tobias, "here are two parcels, and a boy has been to
say that the carriage will be ready at half-past seven precisely."
"'Tis well," said the barber, "that will do; and Tobias, you will be
careful, whilst I am gone, of the shop. I shall be back in half an hour,
mind you, and not later; and be sure that I find you here at your post.
But you may say, if any one comes here on business, there will be
neither shaving nor dressing to-night. You understand me?"