What have I done that I should be
brought here?--what have I done? They may take all I have if they will
let me live in freedom. I care not where or how poor I may be. Oh,
Henry! Henry!--if you knew where I was, would you not fly to my rescue? Yes, you would, you would!' "'Ah,' said I, 'there is no Henry here, and you must be content to do
without one.' "'I could not have believed that my brother would have acted such a base
part. I did not think him wicked, although I knew him to be selfish,
mean, and stern, yet I did not think he intended such wickedness; but he
thinks to rob me of all my property; yes, that is the object he has in
sending me here.' "'No doubt,' said I. "'Shall I ever get out?' she inquired, in a pitiful tone; 'do not say my
life is to be spent here!' "'Indeed it is,' said I; 'while he lives, you will never leave these
walls.' "'He shall not attain his end, for I have deeds about me that he will
never be able to obtain; indeed, he may kill me, but he cannot benefit
by my death.' "'Well,' said I, 'it serves him right. And how did you manage that
matter? how did you contrive to get the deeds away?' "'Never mind that; it is a small deed, and I have secured it. I did not
think he would have done this thing; but he may yet relent. Will you aid
me? I shall be rich, and can pay you well.' "'But your brother,' said I. "'Oh, he is rich without mine, but he is over-avaricious; but say you
will help me--only help me to get out, and you shall be no loser by the
affair.' "'Very well,' said I. 'Will you give me this deed as a security that you
will keep your word?' "'Yes,' she replied, drawing forth the deed--a small parchment--from her
bosom. 'Take it; and now let me out. You shall be handsomely rewarded.' "'Ah!' said I; 'but you must allow me first to settle this matter with
my employers. You must really be mad. We do not hear of young ladies
carrying deeds and parchments about them when they are in their senses.' "'You do not mean to betray me?' she said, springing up wildly and
rushing towards the deed, which I carefully placed in my breast
coat-pocket. "'Oh dear no! but I shall retain the deed, and speak to your brother
about this matter.' "'My God! my God!' she exclaimed, and then she sank back on her bed, and
in another moment she was covered with blood. She had burst a
blood-vessel. I sent for a surgeon and physician, and they both gave it
as their opinion that she could not be saved, and that a few hours would
see the last of her. This was the fact. She was dead before another half
hour, and then I sent to the authorities for the purpose of burial; and,
producing the certificate of the medical men, I had no difficulty, and
she was buried all comfortably without any trouble. *       *       *       *       *

"'Well,' thought I, 'this is a very comfortable affair; but it will be
more profitable than I had any idea of, and I must get my first reward
first, and if there should be any difficulty, I have the deed to fall
back upon. He came down next day, and appeared with rather a long face. "'Well,' said he, 'how do matters go on here?' "'Very well,' said I, 'how is your throat?' "I thought he cast a malicious look at me, as much as to imply he laid
it all to my charge. "'Pretty well,' he replied; 'but I was ill for three days. How is the
patient?' "'As well as you could possibly wish,' said I. "'She takes it kindly, eh? Well, I hardly expected it--but no matter. She'll be a long while on hand, I perceive. You haven't tried the
frightening system yet, then?' "'Hadn't any need,' I replied, putting the certificate of her burial in
his hand, and he jumped as if he had been stung by an adder, and turned
pale; but he soon recovered, and smiled complaisantly as he said--

"'Ah! well, I see you have been diligent, but I should have liked to
have seen her, to have asked her about a missing deed; but no matter.' "'Now about the two hundred pounds,' said I. "'Why,' said he, 'I think one will do when you come to consider what you
have received, and the short space of time and all: you had a year's
board in advance.' "'I know I had; but because I have done more than you expected, and in a
shorter time, instead of giving me more, you have the conscience to
offer me less.' "'No, no, not the--the--what did you call it?--we'll have nothing said
about that,--but here is a hundred pounds, and you are well paid.' "'Well,' said I, taking the money, 'I must have five hundred pounds at
any rate, and unless you give it me, I will tell other parties where a
certain deed is to be found.' "'What deed?' "'The one you were alluding to. Give me four hundred more, and you shall
have the deeds.' "After much conversation and trouble he gave it to me, and I gave him
the deed, with which he was well pleased, but looked hard at the money,
and seemed to grieve at it very much. "Since that time I have heard that he was challenged by his sister's
lover, and they went out to fight a duel, and he fell--and died. The
lover went to the continent, where he has since lived. "Ah," said Sweeney Todd, "you have had decidedly the best of this
affair: nobody gained anything but you." "Nobody at all that I know of, save distant relations, and I did very
well; but then, you know, I can't live upon nothing: it costs me
something to keep my house and cellar, but I stick to business, and so I
shall as long as business sticks to me." CHAPTER XXIV. COLONEL JEFFERY MAKES ANOTHER EFFORT TO COME AT SWEENEY TODD'S SECRET. If we were to say that Colonel Jeffery was satisfied with the state of
affairs as regarded the disappearance of his friend Thornhill, or that
he made up his mind now contentedly to wait until chance, or the mere
progress of time, blew something of a more defined nature in his way, we
should be doing that gentleman a very great injustice indeed. On the
contrary, he was one of those chivalrous persons who when they do
commence anything, take the most ample means to bring it to a
conclusion, and are not satisfied that they have made one great effort,
which, having failed, is sufficient to satisfy them. Far from this, he
was a man who, when he commenced any enterprise, looked forward to but
one circumstance that could possibly end it, and that was its full and
complete accomplishment in every respect; so that in this affair of Mr.
Thornhill, he certainly did not intend by any means to abandon it. But
he was not precipitate.