CHAPTER LXXI.

THE MYSTERIOUS LETTER.

What was there in the chair that Johanna should for some few moments,

now that she had begun to look at it, not be able to take her eyes off

it? She tried to shake it, but it was as fast as a rock, and for all she

knew it was quite usual to have a shaving chair fixed to the floor. In

all likelihood it was in the best position for light which the dingy

shop afforded. She left the chair at last, and then a large cupboard in

one corner of the room attracted her attention. It was locked. In vain

did she try to force it open. It would not yield. She tried, too, the

parlour door without effect. That was quite fast; but as she turned the

handle of the lock, she fancied she heard, or she really did hear

something move in the room. A faint feeling came over her for a moment,

and she was glad to hold by the wall, close at hand, to support herself.

"It must have been fancy," she said faintly. "I am learning nothing, and

the time is flying fast."

A kind of counter ran parallel to the window, and beneath it was a space

covered in by doors. Todd surely had forgotten that, for one of the

doors was open. Johanna looked in and beheld quite a collection of

sticks and umbrellas. Some clothing too lay upon the lowest shelf. With

trembling hands, Johanna pulled at the sleeve of some article and found

it to be a jacket, such as a sailor of the better sort might wear, for

it was exquisitively fine, and had no end of silver buttons upon it. Her

sight was dimmed by tears, as she said to herself--

"Oh, God! was this his?"

She held the jacket up to the light, and she found the breast portion of

it stained, and all the buttons there tarnished. What was it but blood?

The blood of the hapless wearer of that article of dress, that produced

such an effect; but yet how was she to prove to herself that it had been

Mark Ingestrie? Then it was that the thought struck her of how ill

conceived had been that undertaking, which might, in the midst of all

its frightful dangers, only end in furnishing her with more food for the

most horrible surmises, without banishing one sad image of her

imagination, or confirming one dreadful dream of the fate of her lover.

"'Tis all in vain!" she gasped. "All in vain! I shall know nothing, and

only feel more desolate. It would be a mercy if that were to kill me!

Ah! no. Not yet--not yet!"

Some one was trying the handle of the shop door. With frightful energy

Johanna hid the jacket, but not in its proper place, for she only thrust

it beneath the cushion of a chair close at hand, and then shutting the

door of the receptacle beneath the counter, she rose to her feet, and

with a face pale as monumental marble, and her hands clasped rigidly,

she said--

"Who--who is there?"

"Hilloa! Open the door!" said a voice.

Some one again tried the handle, and then kicked vigorously at the lower

panel.

"Patience," said Johanna, "patience."

She opened the door.

"Is Mr. Todd at hand?" said a lad.

"No--no."

"You are his boy, are you not?"

"I am."

"Then take this."

The lad handed a sealed letter to Johanna, and in a moment left the

door. She held the letter in her hand scarcely looking at it. Of course

she thought it was for Todd, but after a few moments her eyes fell upon

the superscription, and there, to her surprise, she read as follows--

"To Miss Oakley, who is requested to read the enclosed quickly, and

secretly, and then to destroy it."

[Illustration: Johanna Receives A Mysterious Letter In Todd's Shop.]

To tear open the letter was the work of a moment. The sheet of paper

tumbled in Johanna's hands as she read as follows--

"From Sir Richard Blunt to Miss Oakley.

"Miss Oakley, the expedition upon which you are at present says much

more for your courage and chivalrous spirit than it can ever say for

your discretion or the discretion of her who permitted you so far to

commit your life to such chances. You should, considering your youth

and sex, have left it to others to carry out such schemes; and it is

well that those others are aware of your position, and so, in a

great measure, enabled to shield you from, perhaps, the worst

consequences of your great indiscretion, for it cannot be called

anything else.

"Your young friend, Miss Wilmot, herself awakened, when, thank God,

it was not too late, to the utter romantic character of the office,

and communicated all to me. I blame both you and her very much

indeed, and cannot speak in too strong language of the reprehensible

character of your expedition; and now, my dear girl, do not be under

any kind of apprehension, for you are well looked after, and Sweeney

Todd shall not hurt a hair of your head.

"If you should find yourself in any danger, seize the first small

heavy article at hand and throw it, with all the strength you can,

through the shop window. Assistance will immediately come to you.

"And now, as you are where you are, I pray you to have confidence in

me, and to remain until some one shall come to you and say 'St.

Dunstan,' upon which you will know that he is a friend, and you will

follow his directions.

"God bless you.--

"RICHARD BLUNT."

Every word of this letter fell like sunshine upon the heart of Johanna,

and she could not help mentally ejaculating--

"I am saved--I am saved! Yes--yes? I am not deserted. Strong, bold, good

men will look to me. Oh! what kindness breathes in every sentence of

this letter! Yes--yes; I am not forsaken--not forsaken!"

Tears came into the eyes of the young girl, and she wept abundantly. Her

overcharged heart was relieving itself. After a few moments she began to

be more composed, and had just crumpled up the letter and cast it into

the fire for fear of accidents, when a shadow darkened the door-way, she

saw Todd looking in above the curtain that was over the upper half of

the door, and partially concealed some panes of glass that were let into

it. As soon as Todd saw Johanna's eyes upon him, he entered the shop.

"What's that?" he said, pointing to the burning letter.

"Paper, sir."

"What paper?"

"A bill that a boy left. Something about Churchwardens, sir, and the

parish of St. Brides, Fleet Street, and how things mean to--"

"Bah! any one else been?"

"No, sir."

Todd stood in the middle of the shop, and cast his eyes slowly round

him, to see that all was as he had left. Then in a low growling tone, he

added--

"No peeping and prying, eh? No rummaging in odd corners, and looking at

things that don't concern you, eh?"

"Certainly not, sir."

Johanna crept close to the counter upon which lay a tolerably large

piece of stone used for grinding razors upon. She thought that would do

very well to throw through the window, and she kept an eye upon it with

that intent, if such an act should by a trick of Todd's appear to be

necessary. Todd took the key of the parlour-door from his pocket, and

placed it in the lock. Before he opened the door, though, he turned the

handle, and as he did so Johanna thought that he inclined his head and

listened attentively. She threw down a chair, which made a lumbering

noise.

"Confound you," roared Todd.

He passed into the parlour; but in a moment, with a glance of fury, he

looked out, saying--

"You tried this door?"

"I, sir?" said Johanna, creeping closer still to the sharpening stone.

"Yes, villain, you. At least, I think so--I am pretty sure; but mark me,

if I were quite sure, you should suffer for it."

He closed the door again; and then when he was alone, he placed his two

hands upon his head for a few moments, and said--

"What does it mean? A boy brought him a letter; I saw him come and go.

At least it looked like a letter. Could it be the bill he spoke of, and

then the sudden upset of that chair, which prevented me from hearing if

the piece of cat-gut I had fastened to the handle of the door had been

moved, before I touched it or not. I will kill him. That is safe. It is

the only plan; I will kill all who is now in my way. All--all. Yes, I

will, if needs be, wade up to my neck in blood to the accomplishment of

my wishes."

Todd went to a cupboard and got out a large knife, such as is used by

slaughtermen in the shambles, and hid it under the table cover, but in

such a place that he could lay hold of it and draw it out in a moment.

"Charley," he cried, "Charley."

"Yes, sir."

"Step in here a moment; I want you, my boy."

"Shall I or shall I not," thought Johanna. "Is this danger, or only the

appearance of it? Heaven direct me now! Oh, what shall I do? What shall

I do?"

"Charley? Are you coming, my boy?"

"Yes, sir, I--I am coming. God protect me!"

"The barber at home?" cried a voice at the door; and in another moment a

man with a ruddy, jolly-looking countenance, made his appearance in the

shop. "Barber at home, eh? my little lad?"

"Yes--yes."

Johanna heard a bitter execration come from the lips of Todd; and then

with quite a serene smile upon his face, as though he were in the most

unruffled mood possible, he made his appearance.

"Could you make me a wig?" said the man, taking off his hat, and showing

that his hair was closely cropped.

"Certainly, sir. If you will sit down and allow me to measure your head,

I shall have great pleasure--Charley!"

"Yes, Sir."

"You can go to Lovett's, in Bell-yard, and get your dinner now. There's

two-pence for you, my lad, and if you have not yet tasted Mrs. Lovett's

pies, you will say when you do, that they are the most delicious things

in the whole world of cookery."

"Shaved, if you please," said another man, walking into the shop, and

pouncing down upon a chair as though it were his own property. "Ah dear

me, I'm tired rather. Don't hurry yourself, Mr. Todd, I can wait while

you are doing what you have to do for that gentleman."

"Charley," said Todd, with quite a sweet expression of face. "You need

not go just yet; I want the hot water. See to it."

"Yes, sir."

Todd then, in the most careful and business-like manner, proceeded to

take the measure of the gentleman's head for a "real head of hair," and

when he had finished, he said--

"Now, sir, if you will leave it all to me, I will match your hair to a

shade."

"Match it?"

"Yes, sir."

"But that's just what I don't want. I have had my hair all cut off, and

am going to wear a wig, for the sole reason that I have got tired of the

old colour."

"Well then, sir, what colour do you propose now?"

"A few shades lighter than my own. But pray shave this gentleman, and I

will tell you how I wish it to look at my leisure."

The man took a seat and crossed one leg over the other with the most

home sort of look in the world; and the one who had come in to be shaved

plumped into the shaving chair, and gave his chin a rub as though he

would say "I don't care how soon you begin."

Todd smiled.

"Charley, the lather."

"Yes, sir. Here it is."

"Here, my little man," said the gentleman in want of a wig. "If you can

tie a bow, just make one in front of my cravat.--A small one."

The gentleman slipped a small piece of paper into Johanna's jacket

pocket.