"Yes," said Todd, as he commenced stropping the razor upon his hand as though nothing at all was the matter. "I do anything in an honest and religious sort of way for a living in these bad times." "Oh, very well. A gentleman is ill in bed and wants his peruke properly dressed, as he has an important visit to make. Can you come to his house?"
"Yes, of course. But can't the peruke be brought here, sir?"
"Yes. But he wants a shave as well, and although he can go in a sedan chair to pay his visit, he is too ill to come to your shop."
Todd looked a little suspicious, but only a little, and then he said—
"It's an awkward thing that I have no boy at present, but I must get one—I must get one, and in the meantime, when I am called out I have no resource but to shut up my shop."
At this moment a stout man came in, saying—
"Shaved—oh, you are busy. I can wait, Mr. Todd—I can wait," and down he sat.
Todd looked at the new-comer with a strange sort of scowl, as he said—
"My friend, have not I seen you here before, or somewhere else?"
"Very likely," said the man.
"Humph, I am busy and cannot shave you just now, as I have to go out with this gentleman."
"Very well, I can wait here and amuse myself until you come back."
Todd fairly staggered for a moment, and then he said—
"Wait here—in my shop—and amuse yourself until I come back? No, sir, I don't suffer any one. But it don't matter. Ha! ha! Come in, I am ready to attend you. But stop, are you in a very great hurry for two minutes, sir?"
"Oh, dear no, not for two minutes."
"Then it will only just take me that time to polish off this gentleman; and if, you will give the address I am to come to, I will be with you almost as soon, sir, as you can get home, I assure you."
"Oh, dear no," cried the stranger, who had come in to be shaved, suddenly starting up, "I really could not think of such a thing. I will call again."
"It's only in Norfolk Street," said the applicant for the dressing of the artificial hair, "and two minutes can't make any difference to my friend, at all."
"Do you think," said the other, "that I would really interrupt business in this way? No, may I perish if I would do anything so unhandsome—not I. I will look in again, Mr. Todd, you may depend, when you are not going out. I shall be passing again, I know, in the course of the day. Pray attend to this gentleman's orders, I beg of you."
So saying, the shaving customer bounced out of the shop without another word; and as he crossed the threshold, he gave a wink to Crotchet, who was close at hand, and when that gentleman followed him, he said—
"Crotchet, Todd very nearly got me into a line. He was going out with the person we saw go to the shop, but I got away, or else, as he said, he would have polished me off."
"Not a doubt of it, in this here world, Foster," said Crotchet. "Ah, he's a rum 'un, he is. We haven't come across sich a one as he for one while, and it will be a jolly lot o' Sundays afore we meets with sich another."
"It will, indeed. Is Fletcher keeping an eye on the shop?"
"Oh, yes, right as a trivet. He's there, and so is Godfrey."
While this brief conversation was going on between the officers who had been left to watch Sweeney Todd's shop, that individual himself accompanied the customer, whom he had been conversing with, to Norfolk Street, Strand. The well-dressed personage stopped at a good-looking house, and said—
"Mr. Mundell only lodges here for the present. His state of mind, in consequence of a heavy loss he has sustained, would not permit him to stay in his own house at Kensington."
"Mr. Mundell?" said Todd.
"Yes. That is the gentleman you are to shave and dress."
"May I presume to ask, sir, what he is?"
"Oh, he is a—a—kind of merchant, you understand, and makes what use of his money he thinks proper."
"The same!" gasped Todd.
The door of the house was opened, and there was no retreat, although, at the moment, Todd felt as though he would much rather not shave and dress the man of whom he had procured the ￡8,000 upon the string of pearls; but to show any hesitation now might beget enquiry and enquiry might be awkward, so summoning all his natural audacity to his aid, Todd followed his guide into the house. He was a little puzzled to know who this person could be, until a woman made her appearance from one of the rooms upon the ground floor, and cried—
"There now, go out, do. We don't want you any more; you have got your pocket money, so be off with you, and don't let me see your face again till night."
"No, my dear," said the well-dressed personage. "Certainly not. This is the barber."
"Good God, Blisset, do you think I am blind, that I can't see the barber. Will you go? The captain is waiting for me to pour out his coffee, and attend to his other concerns, which nobody knows better than you, and yet you will be perpetually in the way."
"No, my dear. I—I only—"
"Hoity toity, are we going to have a disturbance, Mr. B? Recollect, sir, that I dress you well and give you money, and expect you to make yourself agreeable while I attend to the gentlemen lodgers, so be off with you; I'm sure, of all the troublesome husbands for a woman to have, you are about the worst, for you have neither the spirit to act like a man, nor the sense to keep out of the way."
"Ha!" said Todd.
Both the lodging-house keeper and his wife started at the odd sound.
"What was that?" said the woman.
"Only me, madam," said Todd, "I laughed slightly at that blue-bottle walking on the ceiling, that's all."
"What a laugh," said Blisset, as he left the house; and then the lady of the mansion turning to Todd, said—
"You are to attend to Mr. Mundell, poor man. You will find him in the front room on the second floor, poor man."
"Is he ill, madam?"
"Oh, I don't know, I rather think he's grizzling about some of his money, that's all, but it don't matter one way or the other. They say he is as rich as a Jew, and I'll take good care he pays enough here."
"Mrs. B—Mrs. B," cried a voice from the parlour.
"Yes, capta............