The String of Pearls; or, The Barber of Fleet Street — page 110: what you’re looking at

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

= TH ‘STRING OF Pian... een Seer ee eT CEE | "Edna Tobias up as easily as if he had been an infant, and strode from the shambers with him, leaving Mrs. Rage to draw whatever inference she chose from lhis absence; but feeling convinced that she was too much under his controul, to ltake anv steps of a nature to give him the smallest amount of uneasiness. «The woman,” he muttered to himself, “1s a double-distilled ass, and can be | | made to believe anything, so that I have no fear whatever of her. I dare not all | ‘| Tobias, because it 1s necessary, in case of the matter being at any other period | | mentioned, that his mother shall be in a position to swear that she saw him after |this night alive and well.” | The barber strode through the Temple, carrying the boy, who seemed not at all | in a hurry to recover from the nervous and partial state of suffocation into which || he had fallen. As they passed through the gate openimg into Eleet-street, the || || porter, who knew the barber well by sight, said— Site | “ Hilloa, Mr. Todd, is that you? Why, who are you carrying ¢ 1 “ Yes, it’s 1,” said Todd, “and I am carrying my apprentice boy, Tobias Rage, || poor fellow.” | tae | “Poor fellow !——why, what’s the matter with him ?” ‘| JT ean hardly tell you, but he seems to me and to his mother to have gone out | of his senses. Good night to you, good night. I’m looking for a coach.” 1 “Good aight, Mr. Todd; I don’t think you'll get one nearer than the market— |, | what a kind thing now of him to carry the boy! It ain't every master would do || ‘| that; but we must not judge of people by their looks, and even Sweeney Todd, | [| though he has a face that one would not like to meet in a lonely place on a dark | || night, may bea kind-hearted man.” . | || Sweeney Todd walked rapidly down Fileet-street, towaras old Feet Market, || || which was then in all its glory, if that could be called glory which con- || | sisted in all sorts of filth, enough to produce a pestilence within the city of | | London, When there, he addressed a large bundle of great coats, in the middle | || of which was supposed to be a hackney coachman of the recular old school, | | and who was lounging over his vehicle, which was as long and lumbering as a city | {| Oarge. | “ Jarvey,” he said, “ what will you take me to Peckham Rye for ?” p « Peckham Rye—you and the boy—there ain’t any more of you waiting round | the corner, are there—’cos, you know, that won’t be fair >” <¢ No, .00,-n0«- «‘Well, don’t be in a passion, master. I only aaked, you know, so you need not || || be put out about it; I will take you for twelve shillings, and that’s what I call || || remarkably cheap, all things considered.” | “ T’ll give half the amount,” said Sweeney Todd, “and you may consider your- | self well paid.” || “Half, master ?—that is cutting it low; but, howsomdever, I suppose 1 must put |, i} up with it, and take you. Get in, I must try and make it up by some better fare || out of somebody else.” i The barber paid no heed to these renewed remonstrances of the coachman, ft but got into the vehicle, carrying Tobias with him, apparently with great care | || and consideration ; but when the coach door closed, and no one was observing him, | he flung him down among the straw that was at the bottom of the vehicle, and ey ba his immense feet upon him, he gave one of his disagreeable laughs, as he 1} “ Well, I thmk I have you now, Master Tobias; your troubles will soon be i |; over. Lam really very much afraid that you will die suddenly, and then there will | |! be an end of you altogether, which will be a very sad thing, though I don’t think I || iq shall go into mourning, because I have an opinion that that only keeps alive the || i eS of regret, and that ifs a great deal better done without, Master || ! The hackney coach swune about from side to side, in the proper approved manner | || of hackney coaches in the olden time, when they used to be called’ bone-setters,” || and to be thought wonderful if they made a progress of three miles anda half an || ei . ' a een See ‘ ae ~ - nian aie diene mS, ee an a ES I a a ee Z alt cides yi sack E panic! ; ~~ oe > = ~ ie ems ne = =a m == a = ee = cae Se aig alle Bo pate so it Sabin Sa