The Gift of the Sailor: The String of Pearls & Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street — page 333: what you’re looking at

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

“Come home?” said Todd, with a well-acted look of surprise. “Come home? What do you mean, my dear madam? I am particularly glad to see you, and was particularly desirous to do so.” “Indeed!” “Yes, to be sure. Really, do you know, I told the lad here, to deny me to anybody but you.” “And he made the slight mistake of denying you to me only.” “Ts it possible?—Can such things be? Oh, you careless rascal. Upon my word, some employers would pull your ears—that they would. I’m ashamed of you—that I am. Really, Mrs. Lovett, these boys are always annoying one in some way or another; but walk in, if you please—walk in, and we will soon settle our little affairs.” “Excuse me,” said Mrs. Lovett, “I prefer the shop, Mr. Todd.” “You don’t say so?” “You hear me say so, and you might know by this time, that when I say anything—I mean it.” “Of course, Mrs. Lovett, of course,” said Todd; “I know you for a lady of infinite powers of mind—of great susceptibility—of feeling—of uncommon intellect and thrift. Please to step into the parlour, and I will settle with you at once, for I believe you call for a small trifle that you are entitled to from me, Mrs. Lovett.” “T do call for what I am entitled to, and I will have it here.” “Charley, just go to St. Dunstan’s, my lad, and bring me back the exact time; and then, you can do it all under one, you know, just walk down Fleet Market, and see if you can find any love-apples, and if so, you can ask the price of them, and let me know.” “Yes, sir,” said Johanna. In another moment she was gone. Mrs. Lovett took another step nearer to the door, and actually laid her hand upon it to prevent it closing thoroughly. She did not think that she would be safe if it were shut; and then addressing Todd, she said— “All disguise between you and I, is useless now, Todd. Give me my half of the money that has been earned by blood. It may have the curse of murder clinging to it, but I will have it—TI say I will have it.” “Are you mad?” “Not yet—not yet. But I shall be, and then it will be time for you to beware of me.” “Mrs. Lovett—Mrs. Lovett, is it not a melancholy thing, that you and I, who may be said to be at war with all the world, should begin to quarrel with each other? If we are not true to one another, what can we expect from others? Have we not for so long carried on our snug little business in safety, merely because we were good friends?” “No, Todd, no. We never were friends—you know that as well as I do. It is a principal of human nature, that those who are associated together for wicked purposes are never friends. You and I have not been exceptions to the rule. We hate each other—we always did and will, you know it.” “Dear, dear!” said Todd, lifting up his hands, and approaching a step nearer to Mrs. Lovett. “This is afflicting—this is truly afflicting to hear such words from you, Mrs. Lovett.” “Keep off—keep off, I say! Another step, and I will at once into the street, and then to the passers-by scream out for public vengeance upon Todd the murderer!” “Hush!—hush! God of Heaven! woman, what do you mean by speaking of murder in such a tone?” “T mean, Todd, what I say; and what I threaten I will do. Keep off—keep off! I will not have you another step nearer to me with that hang-dog look.” “Moderate your tone, woman!” said Todd, as he stamped upon the floor of the shop; “moderate your tone, woman, or you will destroy yourself and me.” “T care not.” “You care not?—what do you mean by that? Have you gone mad in earnest? What do you mean by you care not? Has the scaffold any charms for you?” “Tt might have for once, with you for a companion on it, Sweeney Todd; but if I am desperate and reckless, you have yourself to thank for it. Well you know that, Todd. I have toiled, and sinned, and murdered, for what you have done the same, for gold!—Gold was the God of my idolatry, and it was yours. We both seized the same idea. We both saw how gold alone was worshipped in the land. We saw how Heaven was affected to be worshipped by all; but we found out that gold was the real divinity. We saw that it was for the lucre of gain that the priest clothed himself in the garments of his pretended ministry, and spake his mock prayers to the people. We saw that it was for gold only that the rulers of the land struggled and fought. We found that the love and the worship of gold was the true religion of all; and we sought to possess ourselves of the idol.” “Mad!—mad!” cried Todd. “No, I speak sanely enough now. I say, we found out that by the possession of gold in Christian, canting, religious, virtuous England, we should find many worshippers. We found out that thousands upon thousands would bend the knee to us on that account, and on that account only. If we were paragons of virtue, we might rot and starve; but if we were monsters of vice, if we had but gold, and kept but by the side of the law, we should be kings—emperors upon the earth.” “‘Bah! bah! bah!” cried Todd. “Well, we took a royal road to our object. We murdered for it, Todd. You dipped your hands in gore, and I helped you. Yes, I do not deny that I helped you.” “Peace, woman!” “T'll not hold my peace. The time's come for you to hear me and I'll make you do so. I'll speak trumpet-tongued and if you like not that word murder, I'll shriek it in your ears. If you like not the word blood, I'll on the housetops proclaim and tell the people that it's synonymous with Todd. Ha! ha! You shrink now.” CORniclooo S CO)