The String of Pearls 51Johanna Makes a New Confidant
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Literature · Crime, Thrillers & Mystery
The String of Pearls 51
Johanna Makes a New Confidant
PrestEnglish
We left the spectacle-maker and his family rather in a state of confusion. Big Ben the Beef-eater had had his revenge upon both Mrs. Oakley and the Saint, and it was a revenge that really did them no harm, so that in that respect it had turned out well. The Rev. Josiah Lupin did not return to the house, but Mrs. Oakley, in a terrible state of prostration from the effects of the sickness that had come over her, staggered again into the parlour. She looked at Mr. Oakley, as she said--
"If you were half a man you would take the life of that villain for treating me in the way he has; I have no doubt but he meant to take the life of the pious Mr. Lupin, and so add him to the list of martyrs."
"My dear," said the spectacle-maker, "if Mr. Lupin intrudes himself into my house, and any friend of mine turns him out, I am very much obliged to him."
"Perhaps you would be equally obliged to this monster, whom you call your friend, if he would turn me out?"
Mr. Oakley shook his head as he said--
"My dear, there are some burthens which can be got rid of, and some that must be borne."
"Come--come, Mother Oakley," said Ben. "Don't bear malice. You played me a trick the last time I came here, and now I have played you one. That's all. It wasn't in human nature not to do it, so don't bear malice."
Mrs. Oakley, if she had been in a condition to do so, no doubt would have carried on the war with Big Ben, but she decidedly was not, and after a shudder or two, which looked as though she thought the toad was beginning again to oppress her, she rose to leave the room.
"Mother," said Johanna, "it was not a real toad."
"But you are!" said Mrs. Oakley, sharply. "You have no more feeling for your mother than as if she were a brickbat."
Feeling now that at all events she had had the last word at somebody, Mrs. Oakley made a precipitate retreat, and sought the consolations and solitude of her own chamber. Mr. Oakley was about to make some speech, which he prefaced with a sigh, when some one coming into the shop called his attention, and he left Johanna and Big Ben the Beef-eater together in the parlour. The moment they were alone, Ben began shaking his head and making some very mysterious signs, which completely mystified Johanna. Indeed she began to be afraid that Ben's intellects were not quite right, although an ordinary observer might have very well supposed there was something the matter with his nether garments, for he pointed to them repeatedly, and shook his head at Johanna.
"What is the matter, cousin?" she said.
"Oh, dear!--oh, dear!--oh--oh--oh!"
"Are you ill?"
"No, but I only wonder as you ain't. Didn't I see you in Fleet-street with these here on?--oh!--oh!--not these here exactly, but another pair. These would be a trifle too large for you. Oh, dear-a-me! my heart bled all for to see such a young and delicate little puss as you a taking to wear the thingamies so soon."
Johanna now began to understand what Ben meant, namely, that he had seen her in Fleet-street disguised in male attire, with her young friend Arabella Wilmot.
"Oh, Ben," she said, "you must not think ill of me on that account."
"But--but," said Ben, rather hesitatingly, as if he were only putting a doubtful proposition, "wasn't it rather unusual?"
"Yes, Ben, but there were reasons why I put on such garments. Surely it was better to do so than--than--to--"
"Than to go without any?" said Ben.
"No--no, I did not say that--I mean it was better for me to forget a little of that maiden delicacy which--which--than to let him--"
She burst into tears.
"Holloa!" cried Ben, as he immediately folded her in an immense embrace, that went very near to smothering her. "Don't you cry, and you may wear what you like, and I'll come and help you to put 'em on. Come, come, there's a nice little dear, don't you cry. Lord bless you! you know how fond I am of you, and always was since you was a little tottering thing, and couldn't say my name right. Don't you cry. You shall wear 'em as often as you like, and I'll go behind you in the street, and if anybody only so much as says half a word to you, I'll be down upon 'em. Fetch 'em now and put 'em on, my dear."
Johanna must have laughed if her life had depended upon her gravity, for all that Ben said upon the subject was uttered in the sheer simplicity of a kind heart, and well she knew that in his rough way he doated on her, and thought there was not such another being in the whole world as she. And yet he looked upon her as a child, and the imperceptible flight of time had made no difference in Ben's ideas concerning Johanna. She was still to him the sweet little child he had so often dandled upon his knee, and brought fruit and sweetmeats to, when such things were great treasures. After a few moments he let her go, and Johanna was able to draw breath again.
"Ben," she said, "I will tell you all."
"All what?"
"How I came to put on--the--the--"
"Oh, these here--very good. Cut on, and let's know all the particulars. I suppose you felt cold, my dear, eh?"
"No--no."
"No? Well then, tell it quick, for I was always a mortal bad hand at guessing. Your father is fitting an old gentleman with a pair of spectacles, and he seems hard to please, so we shall have lots of time. Go on."
"Your good opinion is of such moment to me," said Johanna, "for I have very few to love me; now that you have seen me in such a disguise, I should feel unhappy if I did not tell why I wore it."
Ben lent the most attentive ear to what she said, and then Johanna briefly and distinctly told him all the story of Mark Ingestrie, and how he had, as she thought, mysteriously disappeared at the barber's shop in Fleet-street. It will be seen that she still clung to the idea that the Thornhill of the arrived ship was no other than her lover. Ben heard her all out with the most fixed attention. His mouth and eyes gradually opened wider and wider as she proceeded, partly from wonder at the whole affair, and partly from intense admiration at the way in which she told it, which he thought was better than any book he had ever read. When she had concluded, Ben again folded her in his arms, and she had to struggle terribly to get away.
"My dear child," he said, "you are a prodigy. Why, there's not an animal as ever I knew comes near you; and so the poor fellow had his throat cut in the barber's for his string of pearls?"
"I fear he was murdered."
"Not a doubt of it."
"You really think so, Ben?"
The tone of agony with which this question was put to him, and the look of utter desolation which accompanied it, alarmed Ben, and he hastily said--
"Come, come, I didn't mean that. No doubt something has happened; but it will be all right some day or another, you may depend. Oh, dear!--oh, dear! The idea of your going to watch the barber with some boy's clothes on!"
"Tell me what I can do, for my heart and brain are nearly distracted by my sufferings?"
Ben looked all round the room, and then up at the ceiling, as though he had a hope and expectation of finding some startling suggestion written legibly before his eyes somewhere. At length he spoke, saying--
"I tell you what, Johanna, my dear, whatever you do, don't you put on them things again. You leave it all to me."
"But what will you do?--what can you do, Ben?"
"Well, I don't know exactly; but I'll let you know when it's done."
"But do not run into any danger for my sake."
"Danger? danger? I should like to see the barber that would interfere with me. No, my dear, no; I'm too well used to all sorts of animals for that. I'll see what I can do, and let you know all about it to-morrow, and in the meantime, you stick to the petticoats, and don't be putting on those thingamies again. You leave it to me--will you now?"
"Until to-morrow?"
"Yes, I'll be here to-morrow about this time, my dear, and I hope I shall have some news for you. Well, I declare, it's just like a book, it is. You are quite a prodigy."
Ben would have treated Johanna to another of the suffocating embraces, but she contrived to elude him; and, as by this time the old gentleman in the shop was suited with a pair of spectacles, Mr. Oakley returned to the parlour. Johanna placed her finger upon her lips as an indication to Ben that he was to say nothing to her father of what had passed between them, for, although Mr. Oakley knew generally the story of his daughter's attachment to Mark Ingestrie, as the reader is aware, he knew nothing of the expedition to Fleet-street in disguise. Ben, feeling that he had now an important secret to keep, shut his mouth hard, for fear it should escape, and looked so mysterious, that any one more sharp-sighted than the old spectacle-maker must have guessed that something very unusual was the matter. Mr. Oakley, however, had no suspicions; but as this state of things was very irksome to Ben, he soon rose to take his leave.
"I shall look in again to-morrow," he said, "Cousin Oakley."
"We shall be glad to see you," said Mr. Oakley.
"Yes," added Johanna, who felt it incumbent upon her to say something, "we shall be very glad to see you indeed."
"Ah," said her father, "you and Ben were always great friends."
"And we always shall be," said Ben. Then he thought that he would add something wonderfully clever, so as completely to ward off all suspicions of Oakley's, if he had any, and he added--"She ain't like some young creatures that think nothing of putting on what they shouldn't. Oh dear, no--not she. Bye, bye. I'll come to-morrow."
Ben was quite pleased when he got out of the house, for among the things that he (Ben) found it difficult to do, was to keep a secret.
"Well," he said, when he was fairly in the open air, "if I ain't rather nonplussed at all this. What shall I do?"
This was a question much easier asked than answered, as Ben found; but, however, he felt an irresistible desire to go and have a look at the shop of Sweeney Todd.
"I can easily," he said, "go to Fleet-street, and then, if I find myself late, I can take a boat at Blackfriars for the Tower-stairs, and after all get in to dinner comfortably enough."
With this conclusion, Ben set off at a good pace down Snow-hill, and was soon at the beginning of Fleet-street. He walked on until he came to Sweeney Todd's shop, and there he paused. Now we have previously remarked that there was one great peculiarity in the shop-window of Todd, and that was that the articles in it were so well arranged that some one always was in the way of obtaining any view from the outside into the establishment. Todd was therefore secure against the dangers arising from peeping and prying. Big Ben placed himself close to the window, and made an attempt, by flattening his nose against the panes of glass, to peep in; but it was all in vain. He could not obtain the smallest glimpse into the inside.
"Confound it," he cried, "what a cunning sort of animal this is to be sure--he won't let one peep through the bars of his cage, that he won't."
Now Sweeney Todd became aware, by the additional darkness of his shop, that some one must be quite close to the window, and therefore, availing himself of a peep-hole that he had expressly for the purpose of reconnoitering the passing world without, he took a long look at Big Ben. It was some moments before Ben caught sight of a great eye in the window of Sweeney Todd glancing at him. This eye appeared as if it were set in the centre of a placard, which announced in glowing language the virtues of some condiment for the hair or the skin, and it had a most ferocious aspect. Big Ben looked fascinated and transfixed to the spot, and then he muttered to himself--
"Well, if that's his eye, it's a rum 'un. Howsomdever, it's no use staying outside: I'll pop in and get shaved, and then I shall be able to look about me. Who's afraid?"
As Ben turned round, he saw a plainly-attired man close to his elbow; but he took no notice of him, although from his close proximity to him it was quite impossible that the plain-looking man could have failed to overhear what Ben said. In another moment Big Ben was in Todd's shop.
"Shaved or dressed, sir?" said Todd.
"Shaved," said Ben, as he cast his eyes round the shop.
"Looking for anything, sir?" said Todd.
"Oh, no--nothing at all. Only a friend of mine, you see, said this was such a nice shop, you understand, to be shaved in."
"Was your friend finished off here, sir?"
"Well, I rather think he was."
"Pray sit down. Fine weather, sir, for the season. Now, pussy, my dear, get out of the way of the hot water." Todd was addressing an imaginary cat. "Are you fond of animals, sir? Lord bless me, I'm fond of all the world. God made us all, sir, from a creeping beetle to a beef-eater."
"Very likely," said Big Ben, as he seated himself in the barber's chair.
"And so," added Todd, as he mixed up a lather, and made the most horrible faces, "we ought to love each other in this world of care. How is your friend, sir, who was so kind as to recommend my shop?"
"I should like to know."
"What, is he in eternity? Dear me!"
"Well, I rather think he is."
"Was it the gentleman who was hung last Monday, sir?"
"Confound you, no. But there's somebody else who I think will be hung some Monday. I tell you what it is, Mr. Barber, my friend never got further than this infernal shop, so I'm come to enquire about him."
"What sort of man, sir?" said Todd, with the most imperturbable coolness.
"What kind of man?"
"Yes, sir. If you favour me with his description, perhaps I may be able to tell you something about him. By the bye, if you will excuse me for one moment, I'll bring you something that a gentleman left here one day."
"What is it?"
"I will satisfy you directly, sir, and I'm quite certain your mind will be at rest about your friend, sir, whoever he was. Remarkable weather, sir, for the time of year."
Todd had got only half way from the shop to the parlour, when the shop-door opened, and the plain-looking man walked in--the very same plain man who had stood so close to Big Ben at Todd's window.
"Shaved," he said.
Todd paused.
"If, sir, you will call again in a few minutes, or if you have any call to make and can conveniently look in as you come back--"
"No, I'll take a seat."
The plain-looking man sat down close to the door, and looked as calm and as unconcerned as any one possibly could. The look with which Todd regarded him for a moment, and only one moment, was truly horrible. He then quietly went into his back parlour. In a moment he entered with a common kid glove, and said to Ben--
"Did this belong to your friend?--a gentleman left it here one day."
Ben shook his head.
"I really don't know," he said. "Come, Mr. Barber, finish the shaving, for that gentleman is waiting."
Ben was duly shaved; while the plain-looking man sat quietly in the chair by the door, and when the operation was finished, Ben looked in Todd's face, and said, solemnly--
"A string of pearls."
"Sir," said Todd, without changing countenance in the least.
"A string of pearls.--Murder!"
"A what, sir?"
Ben look staggered. He well knew that if he had cut any one's throat for a string of pearls, that such words said to him would have driven him frantic, but when he saw no change in Todd's face, he begun to think that, after all, the accusation must be unfounded, and muttering to himself--
"It must be nothing but the child's fancy after all," he hastily threw down twopence and left the shop.
"Now, sir," said Todd, to the plain-looking man.
"Thank you."
The plain-looking man rose, and as he did so he seemed just to glance through the door into the street as it was opened by Ben. Immediately his face was full of smiles, as he cried--
"Ah, Jenkins, is that you? Ha, ha! I missed you this morning.--Excuse me, Mr. Barber, I'll look in again. My old friend Jenkins has just gone by."
With this, out he flew from Todd's shop like a shot, and was gone towards Temple Bar, before the barber could move or lay down the shaving cloth which he had in his hands all ready to tuck under his chin. Todd stood for a few moments in an attitude of irresolution. Then he spoke--
"What does all this mean?" he said. "Is there danger? Curses on them both, I would have--; but no matter, I must be wrong--very wrong. That string of pearls may yet destroy me.--Destroy! no--no--no. They must have yet more wit before they get the better of me, and yet how I calculated upon the destruction of that man. I must think--I must think."
Todd sat down in his own strong chair, and gave himself up to what is popularly denominated a brown study.
