I won't say a word; but don't you, because you are in
such a state of mind as you hardly know what you are about, go on
blubbering to me about all the particulars, when perhaps to-morrow
you'll give one of your pretty little ears that you had not said a word
to me about it." "Alas!--Alas!" "Pho! Pho! Easy does it." "Who am I to cling to but you?" "Cling to me? Perhaps you'll say it's me?" "What's you, Mr. Ben? Explain yourself. How strange you talk. What do
you mean, Mr. Ben?" "Well, that's cool," said Ben. "What's cool?" "I tell you what it is, Miss Arabella W., I'm disappointed in you; ain't
you ashamed to look me in the face?" "Ashamed?" "Yes, positively ashamed?" "No, Mr. Ben. I may regret the indiscretion that is past; but I cannot
see in it anything to be ashamed of." "You don't?" "Indeed, Mr. Ben, I do not." "Then, Miss A. W., you are about the coolest little piece of goods I
have met with for some time. Come--come, easy does it; but haven't you
been telling me all this time about something you have been about,
that--that--was rather improper, in a manner of speaking?" It might have been the tone in which Ben pronounced the word improper,
or it might have been the sagacious shake of the head which Ben
accompanied his words with, or it might have been that Arabella was
drawing a conclusion from the whole transaction; but certain it is, that
she began to have a glimmering perception that Mr. Ben was making a
great mistake. "Oh, heaven!" she said. "What are you saying Mr. Ben? I am speaking of
the advice I was foolish enough to give Johanna." "Advice?" "Yes, that is all. Into what mischief could you have tortured my
meaning? I am much mistaken in you, sir." "What? Then, it isn't--a-hem! That is to say, you haven't--dear me, I
shall put my foot in it directly. What a fool I am." "You are, indeed," said the now indignant Arabella, and a slight flush
upon her cheeks showed how deeply wronged she was by the unworthy
construction Ben had put upon her innocent words. "Good-bye, Miss A. W.," added Ben. "Good-bye; I see I am out of your
books; but if you fancy I meant any harm, you don't know me. God bless
you. Take care of yourself my dear, and go home. I won't stay to plague
you any longer. Good-bye." "Stop! Stop!" Ben paused. "I am sure, Mr. Ben, you did not mean to say a single word that could be
offensive to a friendless girl in the street." "Then, then?--Easy does it." "Let us be friends again then, Mr. Ben, and I will tell you all, and you
will then blame me for being so romantic as to give Johanna advice which
has induced her to take a step which, although my reason tells me she is
now well protected in, my imagination still peoples with horror." Ben's eyes opened to an alarming width. "You recollect meeting us in this street, Ben?" "Oh, yes." "When Johanna was disguised?" "Yes, Miss A. When she had on them, a-hem! You may depend upon it, my
dear, there's no good comes of young girls putting on pairs of
thingamys. Don't you ever do it." "But, Mr. Ben, hear me." "Well--well. I was only saying. You stick to the petticoats, my dear. They become you, and you become them, and don't you be trusting your
nice little legs into what-do-you-call-'ems." "Mr. Ben?" "I've done. Easy does it. Now go on and tell us what happened, my dear. Don't mind me. Go on." "Then Johanna, in boy's cloathes, is now--"

"Now? Oh, the little vixen. Didn't I tell her not." "Is now filling the situation of errand boy at Sweeney Todd's, opposite. Can I be otherwise than wretched, most wretched!" "Arrant boy?" "No, not arrant boy. Errand boy." "At Todd's--opposite--in--boys--clothes? Oh--oh--just you wait here, and
I'll soon put that to rights. I'll--I'll. Only you wait in this
door-way, Miss A. W., just a moment or two, and I'll teach her to go and
do such things. I'll--I'll--"

"No--no Ben. You will ruin all, you will, indeed. I implore you to stay
with me. Let me tell you all that has happened, and how Johanna is
protected. In the first place, Ben, you must know that Sir Richard Blunt
the Magistrate has her under his special protection now, and he says
that he has made such arrangements that it is quite impossible she can
come to any harm." "But--"

"Nay, listen me out. He says that nothing can now expose her to any
danger, but some injudicious interference. I ought not, you see, to have
told you, Mr. Ben; but since I have, I only ask of you, for Johanna's
sake, for her life's sake, to do nothing." Ben looked aghast. "And--and how long is the little lamb to be left there?" he asked. "Only a few hours I think now, Ben--only a few hours. Where are we now,
Mr. Ben?" "Why, this, my dear, is Bell-yard we have strolled into; and that is the
famous pie-shop of which they talk so much. They say the woman has made
an immense fortune by selling them." As Ben made a kind of movement towards Mrs. Lovett's window, it was then
that Sir Richard Blunt, who had followed him and Arabella Wilmot from
Fleet-street, and who had, in fact, overheard some portion of their
conversation, stepped up in the manner that Mrs. Lovett had remarked
from within the shop. *       *       *       *       *

We have before stated that the three personages, consisting of the
magistrate, big Ben the beef-eater, and Arabella Wilmot, walked to
Fleet-street together from Bell-yard. Sir Richard Blunt shook his head
at Arabella Wilmot, as he said--

"Miss Wilmot, I cannot help saying that it would have been better in
every respect, and possibly much more conducive to the safety of Miss
Oakley, if you had gone home quietly, and not lingered about
Fleet-street." "I could not go, sir." "But yet a consideration for Miss Oakley's safety should have induced
you to put that violence upon your own feelings." "I felt that when once you, sir, had pledged yourself for her safety,
that safe she was; and that my weeping perchance in a doorway in
Fleet-street could not be so important as to compromise her." "I am fairly enough answered," said Sir Richard Blunt, with a slight
smile. "But what say you to coming with me to the Temple?" "The Temple?" Arabella cast a lingering look towards Todd's shop, which Sir Richard at
once translated, and replied to it by saying--

"Fear nothing for your young friend. She knows she is protected; but
even she does not know the extent to which she is so protected. I tell
you, Miss Wilmot, that I pledge my own life for her safety--and that,
although to all seeming she is in the power of Todd, such is not the
case." "Indeed?" "I have a force of no less than twenty-five men in Fleet-street now--one
half of whom have their eyes upon Todd's shop. By Heaven! I would not
have a hair of that young and noble girl's head injured for the worth of
this great kingdom!" "Bravo!" cried Ben, as he seized Sir Richard by the hand, and gave it a
squeeze that nearly brought the tears into the eyes of the magistrate;
"bravo! that's what I like to hear. All's right. Bless you, sir, easy
does it. You are the man for my money!"