The String of Pearls; or, The Barber of Fleet Street — page 115: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE STRING OF PEARLS. ‘07 ‘| |; church, to be searched, and you will find that he isa murderer. There are at least | & hundred hats, quantities of walking sticks, umbrellas, watches, and rings, all || belonging to unfortunate persons who, from time to time, have met with their || deaths through him.” | ‘| “ How uncommonly mad!” said Mr, Foge. | | “No, no,” said Tobias, “Iam not mad. Why call me mad, when the trath or Fi falseehood of what I say can be ascertained so easily? Search his house, and if || || those things be not found there, say that I am mad, and have but dreamed of them, || || I do not know how he kills the people. That isa great mystery to me yet; but | that he does kill them, I have no doubt—I cannot have a doubt.” | || “ Watson !’? cried the mad-house keeper. ‘ Hilloa! here, Watson,” | iF “Tam here, sir,” said fhe man, who had been dashing water upon poor Tobias’s |} || face. * Cnt , | | “ You will take this lad, Watson, as he seems extremely feverish and unsettled. || 1} You will take him and shave his head, Watson, ‘and put a strait waistcoat upon || | him, and let him be put in one of the dark, damp cells. We must be careful of |} || him, and too much light encourages delirium and fever.” 2H | =“Oh! no, no!” cried Tobias; ** What have I done that I should be subjected to |; such cruel treatment ? what have I done that I should be placedin a cell? If || this be a madhouse, 1am not mad. Oh! have mercy upon me!sehave mercy || |} upon me !” % * : | '} You will give him nothing but bread and water, Watson; and the first symptom || i I suppos, || of his recovery, which will prodace better treatment, will be his exonerating his || || master from what he has said about him ; for he must be mad so long as he con- |{- 0 you.” j| tinues fo accuse such a gentleman as Mr. Todd of such things; nobody but a mad || t pointing iy || Man or a mad boy would think of it.” : i | “Then,” said. Tobias, ‘‘I shall continue mad; for if it be madness to know and || 2” || aver that Sweeney Todd, the barber, of Fleet-street, is a murderer, mad am J, for || en they bi | . know it, and aver it. It is true it is true.” ag? | where px |, “Take him away, Watson, and doas I desired you. I begin to find that the boy || sympa || 1s a very dangerous character, and more viciously mad than anybody we have had || ath ni || bere for a consider: ble time.” : | i Prt | The man named Watson seized upon Tobias, who again uttered a shriek some- | 4 / || thing similar to th; one which had come from his lips when Sweeney Todd clutched | /| hold of him in his mother’s room. But they were used to such things in that mad- || house, and cared] ittle for them, so no one heeded the cryin the least; but poor | Tobias was carried to the door half maddened in reality by the horrors that sur- | { course, |) rounded him. Jurist as he was being conveyed out, Sweeney Todd stepped up to {} 8 || him, and putting his mouth close to his ear, he whispered— oe ak direc |} Ha! ha! Tybias! how do you feel now? Do you think Sweeney Todd will f- tot || be hung, or will you die. in the cell of a madhouse ?” | oes CHAPTER XX. ke ‘ong THE NEW COOK TO MRS, LOVETT GETS TIRED OF HIS SITUATION. | || FRom what we have already had occasion to record about Mrs. Lovett’s new |, || cook, who ate so voraciously in the cellar, our readers will no doubt be induced to |; || believe that he wasa gentleman likely enough soon to be tired of his situation. i tt | To a starving man, and one who seemed completely abandoned even by hope, || F | Lovett’s bake-house, with an unlimited leave to eat as much as possible, must of |, yf S00 | course present itself in the most desirable and lively colours: and no wonder || i) || therefore, that, banishing all scruple, a man so placed, would take the situation, | 5 | with very little inquiry. But people will tire of good things; and it is a remarkable comicbooks.com