The Gift of the Sailor: The String of Pearls & Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street — page 379: what you’re looking at

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

it would, it was sure to be awful. “All’s right,” said Crotchet. “Here’s the vehicle, and the crib is shut up.” “Crotchet!” “Yes, your worship. What is it? Why, you never looked at a feller in that sort of way before.” “T never did have anything so important to say to you, Crotchet, nor did I ever place in your hands so important a trust. It is one that will make you or mar you, Crotchet. I have myself important business here, or I would myself take this man to Newgate. As it is, Crotchet, I wish to entrust you with that important piece of duty, and I rely upon you, Crotchet, for keeping an eye upon him, and delivering him in safety.” “Tt’s as good as done,” said Crotchet. “If he gets away from me, he has only another individual to do, and that’s the old gent as is down below, with the long tail. Lor’ bless you, sir, didn’t I say from the first, as Todd smugged the people as comed to him to be shaved?” “You did, Crotchet.” “Werry good. Then does yer think as I’m the feller all for to let him go when once I’ve got a hold of him? Rather not!” “T entrust you with him then, Crotchet. Take him away. I give him entirely into your hands.” Upon this, Crotchet slid his arm beneath that of Sweeney Todd, and looking in his face with a most grotesque air of satisfaction, he said, “kim up—kim up!” He then, by an immense exertion of strength, hoisted Todd completely over the door step, after which, catching him with both hands about the small of his back, he pitched him into the coach. “My eye,” said the coachman, “has the gemman had a drop too much?” “He will have,” said Crotchet, “some o’ these odd days. To Newgate—to Newgate.” Crotchet rode inside along with, Todd “for fear he should be dull,” he said, and the other officer got up outside the coach, and then off it went to that dreadful building that Todd had often grimly smiled at as he passed, but into which as a resident he had never expected to enter. Sir Richard Blunt remained in the shop of Sweeney Todd. The oil lamp that hung by a chain from the ceiling shed a tolerable light over all objects, and no sooner had the magistrate fastened the outer door after the departure of Crotchet with Todd, than he stamped three times heavily upon the floor of the shop. This signal was immediately answered by three distinct taps from underneath the floor, and then the magistrate stamped again in the same manner. The effect of all this stamping and counter-signals was immediately very apparent. The great chair which has played so prominent a part in the atrocities of Sweeney Todd slowly sunk, and the revolving plank hung suspended by its axle, while a voice from below called out— “Ts all right, sir?” “Yes, Crotchet has taken him to Newgate. I am now alone. Come up.” “We are coming, sir. We all heard a little disturbance, but the floor is very thick you know, sir. So we could no take upon ourselves to say exactly what was happening.” “Oh, it’s all right. He resisted, but by this time he is within the stone walls of Newgate. Let me lend you a hand.” Sir Richard Blunt stooped over the aperture in the floor, and the first person that got up was no other than Mr. Wrankley the Tobacconist. “How do you feel after your tumble?” said Sir Richard. “Oh, very well. The fact is they caught me so capitally below that it was quite easy. Todd did not think it worth his while to come down to see if I were alive or dead.” “Ah, that was the only chance; but of course if he had done so he must have been taken at once into custody—that would have been all. Come on, my friends, come on. Our trouble with regard to Todd is over now, I think.” The two churchwardens of St. Dunstan’s and the beadle, and four of Sir Richard Blunt’s officers, and the fruiterer from opposite, now came up from below the shop of Sweeney Todd, where they had been all waiting to catch Mr. Wrankley when the chair should descend with him. “Conwulsions!” said the beadle, “I runned agin everybody when I seed him a-coming. I thought to myself, if a parochial authority had been served in that ’ere way, there would have been an end of the world at once.” “T had some idea of asking you at one time to play that little part for me,” said Sir Richard. “Conwulsions! had you, sir?” “Yes. But now, my friends, let us make a careful search of this house; and among the first things we have to do is, to remove all the combustible materials that Todd has stowed in various parts of it, for unless I am much deceived, the premises are in such a state that the merest accident would set them in a blaze.” “Conwulsions!” then cried the beadle. “I ain’t declared out of danger yet then!” Q9OOOOGOOO CORniclooo S CO)