The String of Pearls; or, The Barber of Fleet Street — page 95: what you’re looking at

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

__ THE STRING OF PEARLS. 87 ‘I humbly beg your grace’s pardon. How much money does your grace require || on these pearls ?” 7 || . “Twelve thousand pounds is their current value, if a sale of them was enforced ; || eight thousand pounds are required of you cn their security.” || “Hight thousand is alarge sum. As a general thing 1 lend but half the value || Upon anything ; but in this case, to oblige your grace and the illustrious personage, || 1 do not, of course, hesitate for one moment, but shall for one month lend you the |} required amount.” || ‘That will do,” said Sweeney Todd, scarcely concealing the exultation he felt | at getting so much more from John Mundel than he expected, and which he cer- || tainly would not have got if the money-lender had not been most fully and || completely impressed with the idea that the pearls belonged to the Queen, and | that he had actually at length majesty itself for a customer. He did not suppose | for one moment that it was the queen who wanted the money; but his view of the || case was, that she had lent the pearls to this nobleman to meet some exigency of | his own, and that, of course, they would be redeemed very shortly. Altogether a |} more pleasant transaction for John Mundel could not have been imagined. It was || just the sort of thing he would have looked out for, and had the greatest satisfac- || tion in bringing to a conclusion, and he considered it was opening the door to the || highest class of business in his way that he was capable of doing. | “In what name, your grace,” he said, “shall I draw a cheque upon my banker P” “In the natne of Colonel George.” rie i || . “Certainly, certainly; and if your grace will give me an acknowledgment for || eight thousand pounds, and please to understand that at the end of a month from || this time the transaction will be renewed if necessary, I will give you a cheque for || seven thousand five hundred pounds.” ia - sie seven thousand five hundred only, when you mentioned eight thousard . || pounds ?” | The five hundred pounds is my little commission upon the transaction. Your || grace will perceive that I appreciate highly the honour of your grace’s custom, and || consequently charge the lowest possible price. I can assure your grace I could | get more for my money by a great deal, but the pleasure of being able to meet your || grace’s views is so great, that I am willing to make a sacrifice, and therefore if 1s || that I say five hundred, when I really ought to say one thousand pounds, taking || into consideration the great scarcity of money at the present juncture; and I can || assure your grace that Z || Peace, peace,” said Sweeney Todd; “and if it be not convenient to redeem | the jewels at the end of a month from this time, you will hear from me most || assuredly.” | Zam quite satisfied of that,” said John Mundel, and he accordingly drew a || cheque for seven thousand five hundred pounds, which he handed to Sweeney Todd, || who put it in his pocket, not alittle delignted that at last he had got rid of his pearls, even at a price so far beneath their real value. | TJ need scarcely urge upon you, Mr. Mundel,” he said, “ the propriety of keep- ing this affair profoundly secret.” . “Indeed you need not, your grace, for it is part of my business to be discreet and cautious. I should very soon have nothing to do in my line, your grace may depend, if I were to talk about it. No, this transaction will for ever remain locked up in my own breast, and no living soul but your grace and 1 need know what has occurred.” With this, John Mundel showed Sweeney Todd to his carriage, with abundance | of respect, and in two minutes more he was travelling along towards town with what might be considered a small fortune in his pocket. We should have noticed | earlier that Sweeney Todd had, upon the occasion of his going to sell the pearls to the lapidary, in the city, made some great alterations in his appearance, so that it || was not likely he should be recognised again to a positive certamty. For example— | having no whiskers whatever of his own, he had put on a large black pair of false Ne ne te ERS © a oat 4 2 i i$4 a 4 q i j 9% * ae ! : 4 € 4 - 4 3 4 fl : ~ i 4 4 5 | ie | 2 i { aes ds « - * ’ *. _ - —* > iw ~ eq comicbooks.com