The Gift of the Sailor: The String of Pearls & Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street — page 10: what you’re looking at

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

fond of asking questions, just answer me one.” “Oh, yes, of course: what is it, sir?” “Do you know a Mr. Oakley, who lives somewhere in London, and is a spectacle-maker?” “Yes, to be sure I do—John Oakley, the spectacle-maker, in Fore Street, and he has got a daughter named Johanna, that the young bloods® call the Flower of Fore Street.” “Ah, poor thing! do they? Now, confound you! what are you laughing at now? What do you mean by it?” “Didn’t you say, ‘Ah, poor thing?’ Just turn your head a little a one side; that will do. You have been to sea, sir?” “Yes, I have, and have only now lately come up the river from an Indian voyage.” “Indeed! where can my strop® be? I had it this minute; I must have laid it down somewhere. What an odd thing that I can’t see it! It’s very extraordinary; what can have become of it? Oh, I recollect, I took it into the parlour. Sit still, sir, I shall not be gone a moment; sit still, sir, if you please. By the by, you can amuse yourself with the Courier, sir, for a moment.” Sweeney Todd walked into the back parlour and closed the door. There was a strange sound suddenly, compounded of a rushing noise and then a heavy blow, immediately after which Sweeney Todd emerged from his parlour, and folding his arms, he looked upon the vacant chair where his customer had been seated, but the customer was gone, leaving not the slightest trace of his presence behind except his hat, and that Sweeney Todd immediately seized and thrust into a cupboard that was at one corner of the shop. “What’s that?” he said, “what’s that? I thought I heard a noise.” “Tf you please, sir, I have forgot the money, and have run all the way back from St. Paul’s churchyard.” In two strides Todd reached him, and clutching him by the arm, he dragged him into the farther corner of the shop, and then he stood opposite to him, glaring him full in the face with such a demoniac expression that the boy was frightfully terrified. “Speak!” cried Todd, “speak! and speak the truth, or your last hour has come. How long were you peeping through the door before you came in?” “Peeping, sir?” “Yes, peeping; don’t repeat my words, but answer me at once—you will find it better for you in the end.” “T wasn’t peeping, sir, at all.” Sweeney Todd drew a long breath as he then said, in a strange, shrieking sort of manner, which he intended, no doubt, should be jocose,— “Well, well, very well; if you did peep, what then? it’s no matter; I only wanted to know, that’s all; it was quite a joke, wasn’t it— quite funny, though rather odd, eh? Why don’t you laugh, you dog? Come, now, there is no harm done. Tell me what you thought about it at once, and we will be merry over it—very merry.” “T don’t know what you mean, sir,” said the boy, who was quite as much alarmed at Mr. Todd’s mirth as he was at his anger. “I don’t > 33 know what you mean, sir; I only just come back because I hadn’t any money to pay for the biscuits at Peterson’s. “T mean nothing at all,” said Todd, suddenly turning upon his heel; “what’s that scratching at the door?” Tobias opened the shop-door, and there stood the dog, who looked wistfully round the place, and then gave a howl which seriously alarmed the barber. “It’s the gentleman’s dog, sir,” said Tobias, “it’s the gentleman’s dog, sir, that was looking at old St. Dunstan’s clock, and came in here to be shaved, It’s funny, ain’t it, sir, that the dog didn’t go away with his master?” “Why don’t you laugh if it’s funny? Turn out the dog, Tobias; we’ll have no dogs here; I hate the sight of them; turn him out—turn him out.” “T would, sir, in a minute; but I’m afraid he wouldn’t let me, somehow. Only look, sir—look; see what he is at now! did you ever see such a violent fellow, sir? why he will have down the cupboard door.” | “Stop him—stop him! the devil is in the animal! stop him I say The dog was certainly getting the door open, when Sweeney Todd rushed forward to stop him! but that he was soon admonished of the danger of doing, for the dog gave him a grip of the leg, which made him give such a howl, that he precipitately retreated, and left the animal to do its pleasure. This consisted in forcing open the cupboard door, and seizing upon the hat which Sweeney Todd had thrust therein, and dashing out of the shop with it in triumph. “The devil’s in the beast,” muttered Todd, “he’s off! Tobias, you said you saw the man who owned that fiend of a cur looking at St. Dunstan’s church.” “Yes, sir, I did see him there. If you recollect, you sent me to see the time, and the figures were just going to strike three quarters past six; and before I came away, I heard him say that Mark Ingestrie was dead, and Johanna should have the string of pearls. Then I came in, and then, if you recollect, sir, he came in, and the odd thing, you know, to me, sir, is that he didn’t take his dog with him, because you know, sir—” “Because what?” shouted Todd. “Because people generally do take their dogs with them, you know, sir; and may I be made into one of Lovett’s pies, if I don’t—” “Hush—some one comes; it’s old Mr. Grant, from the Temple. How do you do, Mr. Grant? glad to see you looking so well, sir. It does one’s heart good to see a gentleman of your years looking so fresh and hearty. Sit down, sir; a little this way, if you please. Shaved, I suppose?” CORniclooo S CO)