The String of Pearls; or, The Barber of Fleet Street — page 363: what you’re looking at

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

i « = £ Cee ee Sanne del ———- ~ tee een ate re 4 Oe ’ - - seme rtd —¥ ‘ te nent a A RE - . eee OY ' -~ Ets es — tar i w her Ree Sy a Se e= ais = % . = et te Rn ARE att Re NR at a LPL ET LO OE a ee here. 1 thought my house the most unsafe place in the world for it. || feet. ee at Ae Ane ne cc gece ON a IN A tl a lt came | THE STRING OF PEARLS. 355 | | ‘“ Then you have it here ?’’ “Wo, no !’". | “Youhave. Tell me that you have, and that this Mr. Black you mentioned | is a mere delusion.” | ‘Black may be no colour, but it is not a delusion.”’ | “You trifle with me. Beware!” | ‘‘In a word then, my charming Mrs. Lovett, I dreaded to bring the money | I and | you stand upon the brink of a precipice—a slumbering volcano is beneath our | Pshaw! Where is your old acuteness, that you do not see at once how truly foolish 1t would have been to bring the money here ?”’ : “Juggler! Fiend!” ** Hard words, Mrs. Lovett. | She dashed her hand across her brow, as though by that physical effort she could brush from her intellect the sophistical cobwebs that Todd had en- deavoured to move before it, and then she said— | “T know not. I care vot. All I ask—all ] demand—is my share of the money. Give it to me, and let me go.” gel with’: ‘© When?” , “This day. Stay, the day is fast going, but I will say this night, if you really, in your cool judgment, insist upon it.” | = Peo, 4.00.) , «Well, you shall have. This night after business was over and the shop | was closed, I intended to have come to you, and fully planned all this that you | have unfortunately tortured yourself by finding out. -I regret that you think of so quickly leaving the profits of a partnership which, in a short time longer,’ would have made us rich as monarchs. Of course, if youleave, I am compelled.” ‘* You compelled ?” | ‘Yos. How can I carry on business without you? How could J, without your aid, dispose of the 2 ‘¢ Hush, hush !” Mrs. Lovett shuddered. «As you please,’ said Todd. ‘“‘ I only say, I regret that a co-partnership that promised such happy results should now be broken up. However, that is a matter for your personal consideration merely. If I had thought of leaving, and being content with what | had already got, of course it would have com- pelled you to doso. Therefore I cannot complain, although I may regret your excuse of aright of action that equally belonged to me.” ‘Tf I only thought you sincere—” «And why not?” ‘¢IfI could only bring myself to believe that the money was once more | rightly invested—«” ore ‘© You shall come with me yourself, if you like, in the morning to Mr. Black the broker in Abchurch Lane, No. 3, and ascertain that all is right. You shall | there sign your name in his book, so that he may know it, and then you will be) satisfied, I presume?” — | “ Yes, I should then.” & And this dream of leaving off business would vanish ?” “‘ Perhaps it would. But—but——” “ But what?” ‘© Why did you say to Brown that our union was to take place?’ ‘‘ Because it was necessary to say something, to account for the sudden with- drawal of the money; and surely I may be pardoned, charming Mrs. Lovett, for even in imagination dreaming, that so much beauty was mine.” The horrible leer with which Todd Jooked upon her at this moment made her} | shadder “again; and the expression of palpable hatred and disgust that her| countenance wore, added yet another, and not the least considerable, link to) comicbooks.com