The String of Pearls; or, The Barber of Fleet Street — page 210: what you’re looking at

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

“90S RHE STRING OF PEARLS. | that surely two such people as the beadle of St. Dunstan’s, and his neighbour | the shoemaker, would not be employed to unravel such a mystery. He sat down | in an arm chair and rested his head upon his hand, and while he was in that | attitude the door of his shop opened, and a man in the dress of a carter made his appearance. | = “ Bethis Muster Todd’s 2” | § Well,’’ said ‘l’odd, “‘ what then °” | ** Why, then, this be for him like. It’s a letter, but larning waren’t much 1’ | the fashion in my young days, so I can’t read what's on it.” | Todd stretched out his hand. An instant examination showed him it bore | the Peckham post-mark. | ait | “Ah!? he muttered, “from Fogg. Thank you, my man, that will do. That) | will do. What do you wait for ?” | ‘«¢ Please to remember the carter, your honour !” | Todd looked daggers at him, and slowly handed out twopence, which the man took with a very ill grace. [| ‘ What,” said Todd, ‘‘ would you charge me more for carrying a letter than || King George the Third does, you extortionate rascal ?’’ ij Thecarter gavea nod. “Get out with you, or by 1} Todd snatched up a razor, and the carter was off like a. shot, for he really. '| believed, from the awful looks of Todd, that his life was not worth a minute's i| purchase, Tod opened the letter with great gravity.—It contained the following i| words :— | —— ee Sa Sa . : . SS = ras — a, <7 SF ihc ge sige ee ; ——— . . x 2 = 6S ~. — ee es — — ba ~~ cad 4 = eer en on --eerz =i = —— ens aoe om — = = - Sa = — rc eT = = : = = eet - - yn ey 4 So eee a. = ere 3 ; ca = —= " : — : } i al = a = = == = = 2 = ar a men ol Oa = a - = = - = = - =— : = = = ~ F : ran + z 2 = P te = —— Ee eer 93 ° — - aa eee wre - ae “ SN Re ere ie SEES ES TS a a a 7 a a — he ee sere SER he se ee a i Tae eS SS * DEAR SiR,” : i] ‘The lad, T. R., I grieve to say, isno more. Let us hope heis gone where 1| the weary are at rest, and where there is neither sin nor sorrow. ) | ‘*‘] am, dear Sir, yours faithfully, *‘Jacogp B. Foce.” ‘‘Humph!” said Todd. | 2 He held the letter in the flame of the lamp until it fell a piece of airy tinder at | his feet. es j{ ‘ Humph !” he repeated, and that humph was all that he condescended to say 4| of poor Tobias Ragg, whom the madhouse-keeper had thought proper to say i} was dead; hoping that Todd might never be undeceived, for the barber was a {{ good customer. : | If, however, Tobias should turn up to the confusion of Fogg and of Todd, : | dene could the latter do for the deceit that had been practised upon him ?—literally - i} nothing. | | nee | 4} ‘* No sooner,” said Todd, *‘ does one cloud disappear from my route than, || another takesits place. What can that story mean about the attic next door? || it sounds to my ears strange and portentous. What am I] to think of it ?? 2° {| He rose and paced his shop with rapid strides. At length he paused, as though. | he had come to a determination. ee : |“ The want of a boy ts troublesome to me,” hesaid. ‘‘I must get one, but | for the present this must suffice.” : ‘| He wrote upon a small slip of paper the words—‘‘ Gone to the Temple—will || return shortly.” He then, by the aid of a wafer, affixed this announcement to || the upper part ofthe half-glass door leading into his shop. Locking this door i} securely on the inside, and starting a couple of bolts into their sockets, he lit a, i] candle and left his shop. With a stealthy, cat-like movement, Todd passed i} through the room immediately behind his business apartment, and opening another door hs made his way towards the staircase. Then he paused a moment. He thought some sound from above had come upon his ears, but he was not quite sure. ‘To suspect, however, was with such a man as Todd to be prepared i} for the worst, and accordingly he went back to the room behind his shop again, |{. and from a table-drawer he took a knife, such as is used by butchers in their comicbooks.com