The String of Pearls; or, The Barber of Fleet Street — page 253: what you’re looking at

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

THE STRING OF PEARLS. . 245 Sr ee ee ee Todd came to his door. “‘ Gocd God, he is here!” said Arabella. ‘ Come away. Come!” __ “Never. No! Perhaps this is providential. I will, | must look at this man, happen what may.” Todd glared at the two young girls like some ogre intent upon their des- truction, and as Johanna looked at. him, a painter who loved contrast, might have indeed founda study, from the wonderful difference between those two human countenances. They neither spoke for some few moments, and it was reserved for Todd to break the silence. | “What do you want here?’ he cried, in a hoarse rough voice. ‘Be off with you. What do you mean by knocking at the window of an honest tradesman ? J don't want to have anything tosay to such as you.” ‘‘ He—he did it!” gasped Johanna. “Did what ?”’ said Todd, advancing in a menacing attitude, while his face assumed a mest diabolical expression of concealed hatred. ‘‘ Did what ?” “Stop him! Stop him!” cried a voice from the other side of the street. ‘Stop Pison, he’s given me the slip, and [’m blessed if he won't pitch into that ere barber. Stop him. Pison! Pison! Come here, boy. Come here! Oh, lor, he’s nabbed him. I knew’d he would, as sure as a horse’s hind leg ain’t a gammon o’ bacon. My eyes, won’t there bea row—he’s nabbed. the barber, like ninepence.”’ ‘Before the ost!er at the Bullfinch, for it was from his lips this speech came, could get one half of it uttered, the dog—who is known to the readers by the name of Hector, as well as his new name of Pison--dashed over the road, apparently infuriated at the sight of Todd, and rushing upon him, seized him with his teeth. Todd gave a howl of rage and pain, and fell to +he ground. The whole street was in an uproar in a moment, but the ostler rushing over the way, seized the dog by the throat, and made him release Todd, who crawled upon all fours inte his own shop. In another moment he rushed out witha razor in his hand. ‘Where’s the dog?’ he cried, ‘* Where’s the fiend in the shape of a dog ?” ‘Hold hard!” said the ostler, who held Hector between his knees. ‘ Hold hard. I have got him, old chap.” “Get out of the way. I'll have his life.” «No you won't.” ‘ Humph !” cried a butcher's boy who was passing. ‘‘ Whyfthat’s the same dog as said the barber had done for his master, and.collected never such a lot of halfpence in his hat to pay the expenses of burying of him.” ‘You villain !” cried Todd. ‘© Go to blazes !” said the boy. ‘‘ Who killed the dog’s master? Ah,ah! Who did it? Ah, ah!” The people began to laugh. ‘‘] insist upon killing that dog!” cried Todd. “Do you ?”’ said the ostler ; ‘‘ now, this here dog isa partickler friend of mine, so you seel can't have it done. What do you say to that now, old stick- in-the-mud?. If you walk into him, you must walk through me first. Only just put down that razor, and I’ll give you such a wolloping, big as you are, that you'll recollect for some time.”” “ Down with the razor! Down with the razor!’ cried the mob, who was now every moment increasing. : Johanna stood like one transfixed for a few moments in the middle of all this tumult, and then she said with a shudder— ‘* What ought I to do?’ ‘¢ Come away at once, I implore you,” said Arabella Wilmot. ‘‘ Come away, I implore you, Johanna, for my sake as well as for yourown. You have already done all that can be done. Oh, Johanna, are you distracted ?”’ ‘No—no. I will come—lI will come.” comicbooks.com