The String of Pearls; or, The Barber of Fleet Street — page 252: what you’re looking at

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

244 TH BERING. OF SEARLS. a ee een Oe OO eee Sa nS ; sta cicaanescta i tea anata ae. as she trembled with excess of emotion. Arabella Wiluot began to be really — alarmed at the consequences of her friend’s excited and overwrought feelings, | “Oh, Johanna—Johanna!” she cried, ‘‘ cheer up. You shall go when you ' please, so that you will not give way to this sorrow. You do not know how | 'much you terrify me. Rise—rise, | implore you. We will go to Fleet Street, | | since such is your wish.” After a time, Johanna recovered from the burst of emotion that had taken | such certain possession of her, and she was able to speak more calmly and com- posedly to her friend than she had yet done during that visit. The tears she | had shed, and the show of feeling that had crept over her, had been a great relief in reality. : “Can you pardon me for thus tormenting you with my grief ?’’ said Johanna. “ Do not talk so. Rather wonder how I should pardon you if you tell your griefs elsewhere. To whom should you bring them but to the bosom of one who, however she may err in judgment regarding you, cannot err in feeling.” Johanna could only press her friend’s hand in her own, and look the gratitude which she had not the language to give utterance to. It being then settled that they were to go to Fleet Street, it next became a matter of rather grave debate between them whether they were to go as they were, or Johanna was to again i} equip herself in the disguise of a boy. ‘« This is merely a visit of observation, Johanna ; I will go as J am.” ‘* Very well, dear.” They accordingly set out, and as the distance from the house of Arabella Wilmot’s father was but short to the shop of Sweeney Todd, they soon caught sight of the projecting pole that was his sign. * Now be satisfied,”’ said Arabella, ‘‘ by passing twice; once up Fleet Street, and once down it.” ‘*T will,” said Johanna. Todd’s shop was closed as usual. There was never an open door to that establishment, so that it was, after all, but a barren satisfaction for poor Johanna to pass the place where her imagination, strengthened by many circumstantial pieces of evidence, told her Mark Ingestre had met with his death; still, as she | had said to Arabella before starting, a horrible sort of fascination drew her to the spot, and she could not resist the fearful attraction that the outside of Todd’s shop had for her. They passed rather rapidly, for Arabella Wilmot did not wish Johanna to pause, for fear she should be unable to combat her feelings, and make some sort of exhibition of them in the open street. «‘ Are you content, Johanna?” she said. ‘‘ Must we pass again ?’”’ «Oh, yes—-yes. Again and again; I can almost fancy that by continued looking at that place I could see what has been the fate of Mark.” ‘* But this is imagination and folly.” « It may be so, but when the realities of life have become eo hideously full of horrors, one may be excused for seeking some consolation from the fairy cave. Arabella, let us turn again.” They had got as far as Temple Bar, when they again turned, and this time Johanna would not pass the shop so abruptly as she had done before, and any one, to see the marked interest with which she paused at the window, would have imagined that she must have some lover there whom she could. see, notwith- standing the interior of the shop was so completely impervious to all ordinary azers: ene There is nothing to see,” said Arabella. «No. But yet~ha!—look-— look !” | Johanna pointed to one particular spot of the window, and there was the eye of Sweeney Todd glaring upon them. ‘Weare observed,’ whispered Arabella; ‘‘it will be much better to leave the window at once. Come away—oh, come away, Johanna.” “ Not yet—not yet. Oh, if I could look well at that man’s face, I think I ought to be able to judge if he were likely to be the murderer of Mark Ingestre.” . aie ” en ae, TF SS SE requ aaeny 3 iia sien nN ee = = a ~ : * - a acne SS x os se eo as = Reg Ee Gree = Cpe ah clin eae ae a Sp a ape © Ri ae eis aes LF Ae PES bel waeirs “ ae = Ma a Le a * pone Se oe ee = eee wearin = lnpeariial = a eee Se SA ip Sime a= EY SE > ie RIE BORNE ET aed hee es aS Sete " eer 2 sheen ea = a naa ee - ar $= pe Dae a te neces eh ee se 2 sera. Soe tae pe eet ei >? mtie= ee any NY ne eee me. comicbooks.com