The Gift of the Sailor: The String of Pearls & Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street — page 91: what you’re looking at

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

screaming, and then you are all right.” “Good,” he replied: “now wait here. I am going to yon house. When I have entered, and disappeared several minutes, you may quietly drive up, and take your station on the other side of the lamp-post.” As he spoke he got out, and walked to a large house, which he entered softly, and left the door ajar; and after he had gone in, I walked the horse quietly up to the lamp-post, and as I placed it, the horse and front of the cart were completely in the dark. I had scarcely got up to the spot, when the door opened, and he looked out to see if anybody was passing. I gave him the word, and out he came, leaving the door, and came with what looked like a bundle of clothes, but which was the young girl and some clothes he had brought with him. “Give her to me,” said I, “and jump up and take the reins; go on as quickly as you can.” I took the girl into my arms, and handed her into the back part of the chaise, while he jumped up, and drove away. I placed the young girl in an easy position upon some hay, and stuffed the clothes under her, so as to prevent the jolting from hurting her. “Well,” said I, “you may as well come back here, and sit beside her: she is all right. You seem rather in a stew.” “Well, I have run with her in my arms, and altogether it has flurried me.” “You had better have some brandy,” said I. “No, no! don’t stop.” “Pooh, pooh!” I replied, pulling up, “here is the last house we shall come to, to have a good stiff tumbler of hot brandy and water. Come, have you any change—about a sovereign will do, because I shall want change on the road? Come, be quick.” He handed me a sovereign, saying— “Don’t you think it’s dangerous to stop—we may be watched, or she may wake.” “Not a bit of it. She snores too loudly to wake just now, and you’ll faint without the cordial; * so keep a good look-out upon the wench, and you will recover your nerves again.” As I spoke I jumped out, and got two glasses of brandy and water, hot, strong, and sweet. I had in about two minutes made, out of the house. “Here,” said I, “drink—drink it all up—it will make your eyes start out of your head.” I spoke the truth, for what with my recommendations, and his nervousness and haste, he drank nearly half of it at a gulp. I shall never forget his countenance. Ha! ha! ha! I can’t keep my mirth to myself. Just imagine the girl inside a covered cart, all dark, so dark that you could hardly see the outline of the shadow of a man, and then imagine, if you can, a pair of keen eyes, that shone in the dark like cat’s eyes, suddenly give out a flash of light, and then turn round in their sockets, showing the whites awfully, and then listen to the fall of the glass, and see him grasp his throat with one hand, and thrust the other hand into his stomach. There was a queer kind of voice came from his throat, and then something like a curse and a groan escaped him. “Damn it,” said I, “what is the matter now?—you’ve upset all the liquor—you are very nervous—you had better have another dose.” “No more—no more,” he said faintly and huskily, “no more—for God’s sake no more. I am almost choked—my throat is scalded, and my entrails on fire!” “T told you it was hot,” said I. “Yes, hot, boiling hot—go on. I’m mad with pain—push on.” “Will you have any water, or anything to cool your throat?” said I. “No, no—go on.” “Yes,” said I, “but the brandy and water is hot; however, it’s going down very fast now—very fast indeed, here is the last mouthful;” and as I said so, I gulped it down, returned with the one glass, and then paid for the damage. This did not occupy five minutes, and away we came along the road at a devil of a pace, and we were all right enough; my friend behind me got over his scald, though he had a very sore gullet, and his intestines were in a very uncomfortable state; but he was better. Away we rattled, the ground rattling to the horse’s hoofs and the wheels of the vehicle, the young girl still remaining in the same state of insensibility in which she had first been brought out. No doubt she had taken a stronger dose of the opium than she was willing to admit. That was nothing to me, but made it all the better, because she gave the less trouble, and made it safer. We got here easy enough, drove slap up to the door, which was opened in an instant, jumped out, took the girl, and carried her in. When once these doors are shut upon any one, they may rest assured that it is quite a settled thing, and they don’t get out very easy, Save in a wooden surtout; * indeed, I never lost a boarder by any other means; we always keep one connection, and they are usually so well satisfied, that they never take any one away from us. Well, well! I carried her indoors, and left her in a room by herself on a bed. She was a nice girl—a handsome girl, I suppose people would call her, and had a low, sweet, and plaintive voice. But enough of this. “She’s all right,” said I, when I returned to this room, “It’s all right—I have left her.” “She isn’t dead?” he inquired, with much terror. “Oh! no, no! she is only asleep, and has not woke up yet from the effects of the laudanum. Will you now give me one year’s pay in advance?” “Yes,” he replied, as he handed the money, and the remainder of the bonds. “Now, how am I to do about getting back to CORniclooo S CO)