The String of Pearls; or, The Barber of Fleet Street — page 212: what you’re looking at

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

204 | THE STRING OF PEARLS. | Todd, with so awful an expression, that had the barber's heart been made of much more flinty materials than it was, he could not have resisted the terrors of that awful moment. With a shriek that echoed through the house, Todd fell upon the landing. The light rolled from stair to stair until it was finally ex- tinguished, and all was darkness. ‘¢ Good,’’ said Crotchet, for it was he who had enacted the ghost. .‘‘ Good! I’m blessed if I didn’t think that ere would nail him. These sort o’ chaps are always on the look-out for something or another to be frightened at, and you have’ i) only to show yourself to put °em almost out of their seven senses. It was a capital | idea that of me to cut my finger a little, and get some blood to smear over my | face. It’s astonishing what a long way a little drop will go, to be sure. I i dare say it makes me look precious rum.” Mr. Crotchet was quite right regarding the appearance which. the blood, smeared over his face, gave to him. It made him Jook. perfectly hideous, and any one whose conscience was not— ‘‘ With injustice corrupted!” | might well have been excused for a cold chill, and, perchance, even a swoon, like Sweeney Todd’s, at his appearance. i J yather think,’’? added Crotchet, “that’s a settler; so I’ll just take the i] liberty, old fellow, of lighting your candle again, and then msezling, for I don’t | somehow think much good is to be done in this crib just now.” By the aid of his phosphorus match Crotchet soon succeeded in re-illumining the candle, which he found on a mat in the passage; but notwithstanding his opinion that he had seen about as much as there was to see in Todd’s house, he, || when he had the candle alight, thought he might just as well peep into the par- |{ lour immediately behind the shop, before going up-stairs again. The door offered no opposition, for ‘T’odd had certainly not expected any one down stairs, and Mr. Crotchet found himself in the parlour about as soon as he had formed the { wish to be there. This parlour was perfectly crammed with furniture, and all of the bureau kind, that is to say, large shapeless looking pieces of mahogany, | | with no end of drawers. Crotchet made an attempt at several before he found 1] one that yielded to his efforts to open it, and that only did so because the hasp #7 into which the lock was shot had given way, and no longer held it close. This #| drawer was full of watches. 1] “Humph!” said Crotchet, “ Todd ought to know the time of day certainly, 4} and no mistake. Ah, these ere machines, if they had tongues now, I rather 1} think, could tell a tale or two. Howsomedever, Ill pocket some of ’em.” | Mr. Crotchet put about a dozen watches in his pocket forthwith, and then he 4} began to think that, as he did not wish to take Mr. Todd just then into custody, 4} it would be just as well if he left the house. Besides, the barber had only fell 4} into a swoon through fright, so that his recovery was a matter that could be cal- 4} culated upon with something like certainty in a short time. } ‘It would be a world of pities if he was to find out as the ghost was only me,” said Crotchet, “so I’ll be off before he comes to himself.” i Extinguishing the light, Crotchet wound his way up the staircase again, but af when he got to the landing he stopped, and said— | “Bless us! [ve not got them canes and swords as Sir Richard wanted me to 4} bring away with me. Well, the watches will answer better than them, for all 4— he wants is to compare ‘em with the descriptions of some folks as has been 44 mussed by their blessed relations in London, so that’s all right. Hilloa!” | This latter ejaculation arose from Crotchet having trodden upon Todd. “The deuce !”’ he added, “I thought I had got clear of him.’ | He paused, and heard Todd utter a deep groan. Mr. Crotchet took this as a signal that he had better be off; and accordingly he ascended the next staircase 17 quickly, and in a very few minutes reached the attic of Todd’s house. When |} there, he quickly made his appearance in the shoemaker’s attic, and found that 4; Sir Richard Blunt had left the door of it just upon the latch for him. 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