The String of Pearls; or, The Barber of Fleet Street — page 27: what you’re looking at

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

—— v ~~ = - ei ee ad Mong a 7 <a : fai ai . a » ' ¥ = , + j é - ot ; ‘a _ && hae. Hs oe a ee aS x ~ rs eS ee ee — «-. ; ee eee ee ‘ THE STRING OF PEARLS. _ Don’t | what for ?* | Tobias made no answer ; and; throwing down his twopence, scampered out of || the shop as fast as he could. He had only sent. a message by Sweeny Todd in the |} neighbourhood ; buf, as he heard the clock strike twelve, and two penny pieces |; were lying at the bottom of his pocket; it was not in human nature to resist running into Lovett’s and converting them intoa pork pie. __ | Ai “What an odd thing!” thought the young lawyer. “Ill just drop in at || Sweeney Todd’s now on purpose; and ask Tobias what he means. I quite forgot, — too, while he was here; to ask him what all that riot was about a dog at Todd’s door.” aig plat idee. phi eibc 4 “A veal !” said a young man, rushing ins “a twopenny veal, Mrs. Lovett.” When he got it he consumed it with voracity, and then noticing an acquaintance inthe shop, he whispered to him, “T can’t stand it any more. Lhave cut the spectacle-maker—Johanna is || faithless, and I know not what to do.” Ae. : ‘* Have another pie.” | - Bas sist * But what’s a pie to Johaniia Oakley ? You know, Dilki, thaf 1 only went there to bé near the charmér. Damn the shutters and curse the spectacles! She | loves another, and [’m a desperate individual! I should like to do some horrible and desperate act. Oh, Johanna, Johanna! you have driven me to the verge of what do you call it—I’ll take another veal, if you please, Mrs. Lovett.” “ Well, I was wondering how you got on,” said his friend Dilki, “ and thinking of calling upon you.” © | eo | ‘< «© Oh! it was all right—it was all right at first s she smiled upon me.” * You are quite sute she didn’t laugh at you ?” “Sir! Mr, Dilki !” 3 | ? I say, are you suré that instead of smiling tpon you she was not laughing at you!” 7 cea | “AmlI sure? Do you wish to insult me, Mr, Diki? I look upon you as a puppy; sitr—a horrid puppy.” : | a es “Very good; now I am convinced that the girl has been having a bit of fun at your expense.—Are you not aware, Sam, that your nosé turns up so much that it’s ériough to pitch you head over hee's. How do you suppose that any girl under forty-five would waste a word upon you? Mind, I don’t say this to offend you im any way, but just quietly, by way of asking a question.” Sam looked dageers, and probably he might have attempted some desperate act in the pie-shop, if at the moment he had not caught the eye of Mrs. Lovett, and | he saw by the expression of that lady’s face, that anything in the shape of a riot would be speedily suppressed, so he darted out of the place at once to carry his sorrows and his bitterness elsewhere. It was only between twelve and one o’clock that such a tremendous rush and influx of visitors came to the pie-shop, for although there was a good custom the whole day, and the concern was a money-making one from morning till night, 1 was at that hour principally that the great consumption of pies took place. Tobias knew from expericncé tliat Sweeney Todd was a skilful calculator of the time it ought to take to go to different places, and actordingly since he had occupied some portion of that most valuable of all commodities at Mrs. Lovett’s, he arrived quite breathless at his mastet’s shop. Ot -g There sat the mysterious dog with the hat, and Tobias lingered for a moment to speak to the animal. Dogs are great physiognomists; and as the creature looked into Tobias’s face hé seemed to draw a favourable conclusiou regarding lum, for he submitted to a earess. | | : “Poor fellow !” said Tobias. “I wish I kuew what had become of your master, but it made me shake like a leaf to wake up last night and ask myself the question. You shan’t starve, though, if I can help it. I haven’t much for myself, but you shall have some of it.” eo en ie As he spoke, Tobias took from his pocket some not very tempting cold meat, which was intended for his own dinner, and which he had wrapped up in not the comicbooks.com