A LUNCHEON AT SIR RICHARD BLUNT'S.--THE DOG AND HIS OLD FRIEND.
We willingly leave Todd to his own reflections upon the disastrous state
of his affairs, while we solicit the attention of our readers to the
private house and office of Sir Richard Blunt again, in Craven Street.
The worthy magistrate had quite a party to lunch on that day, and he had
fixed the hour as eleven when he wished to see his friends.
Those friends consisted of Johanna Oakley, Mark Ingestrie, Mr. and Mrs.
Oakley, Colonel Jeffery, Arabella Wilmot, and Big Ben, who was, at the
special request of Johanna, gladly included in the party.
A happier party than that could not very well have been found throughout
the whole length and breadth of London; and there was but one slight
shade of disquietude upon the face of Johanna, when she at times thought
that at one o'clock she would have to attend the police-office at Bow
Street to give her testimony against Todd the murderer.
"Well," said Ben, "here we are alive--all alive, and as merry as so many
grigs; and all I can say is, my tulips, that I will show the wild
beasteses to anybody as likes to come to the Tower, free, gratis and for
nothing. Take it easy, Mr. Ingestrie, and don't be casting sheep's-eyes
at Johanna. The little love of a thing ain't at all used to it--indeed,
she ain't; and the only person as she lets love her above a bit, and
takes it easy with, is me; so don't come any nonsense."
"But, Mr. Ben," said Mark, "I may look sometimes?"
"Yes, now and then, if you take things easy."
Old Mr. Oakley had got on his spectacles, and seemed as if he could not
be done looking at Mark Ingestrie; and more than once, or twice, or
thrice, the old gentleman would shake hands with him, telling him that
he looked upon him quite as one risen up from the dead, in a manner of
speaking.
"Yes, sir, you may well, indeed, look upon me as such; but I hope now
for long life and happiness."
A glance at Johanna was sufficiently expressive of with whom he hoped
for happiness--and that glance was returned with one of those sweet
endearing looks that only those who truly love can cast one upon
another.
"And I, too," said Colonel Jeffery, "put in my claim to the happiness of
the future, for am I not blessed with one whom I feel that I can love!"
"Stop!" said Arabella. "We won't have any conversation of this sort
before company, colonel, if you please; so I will trouble you to be
quiet."
"I am all submission," said the colonel; "and I hope my humble conduct
upon this occasion will be to you all, ladies and gentlemen, a good
example of what I shall be when I am married."
This was said in so comical a manner that the whole party laughed
amazingly, and then Sir Richard Blunt said rather gravely--
"I expect two old friends here this morning."
"Old friends?" said everybody, in surprise.
"Yes. The one is the captain of the ship which brought poor Mr.
Thornhill and his dog home, and who has been to Hamburgh with his
vessel, and the other is the dog himself."
At this moment an officer, for Sir Richard was quite wholly attended
upon by the police at that private office of his, came in to say that a
gentleman wanted to see him.
"It is the worthy captain," said Sir Richard; "show him in at once."
"If you please, Sir Richard," added the officer, "there is a man, too,
with a great dog who wishes to see you, and the dog has been in the hall
once, and walked off with a plate of cheese-cakes and a pickled tongue
that were coming in to your worship."
A roar of laughter testified to the amusement which this freak of
Hector's caused, and Sir Richard said--
"Well, I don't know any one who was so much entitled to be invited to
lunch as Hector, and no doubt he thought so too; and as we had not the
courtesy to open the door for him, and properly accommodate him, he has
helped himself on the road, that's all."
"Shall I admit him, sir?"
"Yes, and the man who is with him. He is one of the witnesses who I
trust will help to bring Todd to justice. Show them all in."
In a very few minutes the captain of the vessel, with whom the reader
had some slight acquaintance at the beginning of this most veritable
narrative, made his appearance, and Colonel Jeffery warmly shook hands
with him. The dog knew the colonel and the captain likewise, and was
most vociferous in his joy to see them.
It was an affecting thing then to see the creature pause suddenly in his
manifestations of delight, and look sad and solemn, after which he
uttered a dismal howl, and catching the colonel by the skirt of his
coat, he tried to pull him towards the door of the room.
"Poor fellow," said the captain, "he does not forget his master yet, I
see."
"No," said Colonel Jeffery, "nor never will. If he had his own way now,
and we would follow him, I lay any wager he would take us to Sweeney
Todd's shop."
"In course he would, sir," said the ostler. "In course he would. Lord
bless you, gemmen, if this here dog as I calls Pison, cos why he was
pisoned, was only to get hold of Todd, I would not give much for his
chances. You sees, gemmen, as I have kept him in good condition."
"He does look well," said the captain.
"Indeed it does you great credit," said Colonel Jeffery; "but his keep
must cost something. There is my guinea towards it."
The colonel placed a guinea in the ostler's hand, and his example was
followed by all present, so that the ostler found himself growing quite
a man of substance when he least expected it.
"Lor, Pison," he said, "you'll be a fortin for a fellow yet, you will.
But I hope, gemmen, as you don't mean to take him away, cos if that's
the caper, here's the money agin, and I'd rather keep Pison. He's got
fond o' me by this time, poor fellow, and I have got fond on him, as I
hav'nt no other brothers and sisters or family of my own."
"It would indeed be unfair," said the colonel, "to deprive you of him.
But tell me, are you comfortable in your situation?"
"Lor bless you, sir, it ain't much of a situation. Lots of hard work,
and werry little for it."
"Well, if you like to come into my service and bring Hector with
you--you are welcome."
"Oh, won't I, sir, above a bit. Why, Pison, we is promoted, old fellor.
We is a going to a new place, where there will be no end of grub, old
chap."
"You shall not have any complaints to make in that department," said the
colonel.
"So then," said the captain, "it is quite clear that Mr. Thornhill was
murdered by that rascal of a barber?"
"Quite," replied Sir Richard Blunt, "and it is for that murder we mean
to try Todd. If, however, by any chance, he should escape conviction
upon that, we will be provided with two more indictments against him, so
that he is tolerably well cared for; but the murder of Mr. Thornhill is
what we mean ostensibly to go upon."
"That's right, sir," said the ostler, "and I'll bring Pison as a witness
to all the blessed facts. He'll settle the business, even if the jury is
half as stupid agin as usual."
"He will be committed for trial this morning," said Sir Richard Blunt,
"for the murder of Mr. Thornhill; and that woman, Mrs. Lovett, will be
arraigned as an accessory before the fact, so that there can be very
little doubt of the fate of both of them; and if ever two notorious
criminals deserved that the last dread sentence of the law should be
carried out against them, Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett are those two."
"They could not be worse," said the captain.
"No, that would be impossible," remarked the colonel. "I shall be glad
when this gloomy tragedy is over though. The public mind will soon be
filled with it, and we shall hear of nothing but of Sweeney Todd and
Mrs. Lovett, with all their sayings and doings, for the next few months
to come."
"That is true enough," said Sir Richard Blunt. "But I don't think you
will find any but one feeling upon the subject, and that will be one of
universal condemnation."
"Not a doubt of it."
"There is another too who will suffer the just reward of his crimes,"
said the magistrate glancing at Mrs. Oakley.
She shook her head and sighed, for she shrunk naturally from the awfully
responsible share she was condemned to have in the conviction of Mr.
Lupin.
"I will do my duty," she said, "in that dreadful piece of business. The
guilt of Lupin, although not so extensive as Todd's, is to the full as
great."
"It is indeed, madam."
"Ah, yes!" said Ben. "They are a bad lot altogether, and the sooner they
are hung up like a rope of ingions the better. Bless me, I always was
delicate, and so was obliged to take things easy; but I have more than
once looked into that horrid pie shop in Bell Yard, and thought I should
like a smack of about fifteen or twenty of them, just to stay my stomach
till I got home to the Tower; and what a mercy it was I never bought
'em."
"It was, indeed, my friend," Sir Richard said.
"Yes, you may say that, my dear, sir--you may say that. With my very
delicate stomach, I should have been as good as done brown if I had had
'em. I should have fallen a victim to the wild beasteses, the very next
time as I went a-near 'em; and all I can say is, as I shall be uncommon
glad to show these creatures to any of this company, as will come to the
Tower at feeding time."
Ben had made this liberal offer so often that the company left off
thanking him for it; but the ostler whispered to him--
"I'll come and bring Pison."
"No, will you though?" said Ben.
"Yes, to be sure I will. Who knows but he'd like to see them wild
beasteses, as perhaps he has only heard of 'em in a wery promiscous sort
o' way."
"Not a doubt of it," cried Ben, "not a doubt of it--only when he does
come you must tell him to take things easy, and not be discomposed at
any of the roaring and bellowing, as the creatures sets up at times."
"Oh, I'll hold him."
"You needn't go for to hold him. Just you impress upon him afore he
comes that easy does it, that's all you need do, and then he'll know
very well what to do."
"Won't I!"
The conversation was rather breaking up into small fragments, when the
magistrate rose from his seat.
"Now then," said Sir Richard Blunt, "it is time for us to go to Bow
Street, where I appear as a witness to-day, instead of as a magistrate."
As he spoke, the clock in the office sounded the half-past twelve.
All the guests of the magistrate rose, for they knew that his duties
were imperative. There was a tone of great gravity now about Sir Richard
Blunt as he spoke--
"I fully expect," he said, "that Todd will be committed for trial and
Mrs. Lovett likewise. Already she has made repeated applications to her
attendants in prison, to be permitted to become evidence against Todd."
"Which will surely not be permitted?" said the colonel.
"Certainly not; the evidence against him is quite clear enough without
the assistance of Mrs. Lovett, while the proofs of her criminality with
him, are of too strong a character for her to be given any chance of
escape."
"She is a dreadful woman."
"She is, indeed; but you will all of you soon see how she conducts
herself now, for she will be brought up with Todd."