This occurrence had a great effect upon Sweeney Todd's
pursuers; it taught them the practical wisdom of not interfering with a
man possessed evidently of such tremendous powers of mischief, and
consequently, as just about this period the defeat of the little
lapidary took place, he got considerably the start of his pursuers. He
was by no means safe. The cry of "stop thief!" still sounded in his
ears, and on he flew, panting with the exertion he made, till he heard a
man behind him, say,--

"Turn into the second court on your right, and you will be safe--I'll
follow you. They shan't nab you, if I can help it." Sweeney Todd had not much confidence in human nature--it was not likely
he would; but, panting and exhausted as he was, the voice of any one
speaking in friendly accents was welcome, and, rather impulsively than
from reflection, he darted down the second court to his right. CHAPTER VIII. THE THIEVES' HOME. In a very few minutes Sweeney Todd found that this court had no
thoroughfare, and therefore there was no outlet or escape, but he
immediately concluded that something more was to be found than was at
first sight to be seen, and casting a furtive glance beside him in the
direction in which he had come, rested his hand upon a door which stood
close by. The door gave way, and Sweeney Todd, hearing, as he imagined,
a noise in the street, dashed in, and closed the door, and then he,
heedless of all consequences, walked to the end of a long dirty passage,
and, pushing open a door, descended a short flight of steps, to the
bottom of which he had scarcely got, when the door which faced him at
the bottom of the steps opened by some hand, and he suddenly found
himself in the presence of a number of men seated round a large table. In an instant all eyes were turned towards Sweeney Todd, who was quite
unprepared for such a scene, and for a minute he knew not what to say;
but, as indecision was not Sweeney Todd's characteristic, he at once
advanced to the table and sat down. There was some surprise evinced by
the persons who were seated in that room, of whom there were many more
than a score, and much talking was going on among them, which did not
appear to cease on his entrance. Those who were near him looked hard at
him, but nothing was said for some minutes, and Sweeney Todd looked
about to understand, if he could, how he was placed, though it could not
be much a matter of doubt as to the character of the individuals
present. Their looks were often an index to their vocations, for all grades of
the worst of characters were there, and some of them were by no means
complimentary to human nature, for there were some of the most desperate
characters that were to be found in London. Sweeney Todd gave a glance
around him, and at once satisfied himself of the desperate nature of the
assembly into which he had thrust himself. They were dressed in various
fashions, some after the manner of the city--some more gay, and some
half military, while not a few wore the garb of countrymen; but there
was in all that an air of scampish, off-hand behaviour, not unmixed with
brutality. "Friend," said one, who sat near him, "how came you here; are you known
here?" "I came here, because I found the door open, and I was told by some one
to come here, as I was pursued." "Pursued?" "Ay, some one running after me, you know." "I know what being pursued is," replied the man, "and yet I know nothing
of you." "That is not at all astonishing," said Sweeney, "seeing that I never saw
you before, nor you me; but that makes no difference. I'm in
difficulties, and I suppose a man may do his best to escape the
consequences?" "Yes, he may, yet that is no reason why he should come here; this is the
place for free friends, who know and aid one another." "And such I am willing to be; but at the same time I must have a
beginning. I cannot be initiated without some one introducing me. I have
sought protection, and I have found it; if there be any objection to my
remaining here any longer, I will leave." "No, no," said a tall man on the other side of the table, "I have heard
what you have said, and we do not usually allow any such things; you
have come here unasked, and now we must have a little explanation--our
own safety may demand it; at all events we have our customs, and they
must be complied with." "And what are your customs?" demanded Todd. "This: you must answer the question which we shall propound unto you;
now answer truly what we shall ask of you." "Speak," said Todd, "and I will answer all that you propose to me, if
possible." "We will not tax you too hardly, depend upon it: who are you?" "Candidly, then," said Todd, "that's a question I do not like to answer,
nor do I think it is one that you ought to ask. It is an inconvenient
thing to name oneself--you must pass by that inquiry." "Shall we do so?" inquired the interrogator of those around him, and
gathering his cue from their looks, he, after a brief space, continued--

"Well, we will pass over that, seeing it is not necessary, but you must
tell us what you are--cutpurse, footpad, or what not?" "I am neither." "Then tell us in your own words," said the man, "and be candid with us. What are you?" "I am an artificial pearl-maker--or sham pearl-maker, whichever way you
please to call it." "A sham pearl-maker! that may be an honest trade for all we know, and
that will hardly be your passport to our house, friend sham
pearl-maker!" "That may be as you say," replied Todd, "but I will challenge any man to
equal me in my calling. I have made pearls that would pass with almost a
lapidary, and which would pass with nearly all the nobility." "I begin to understand you, friend; but I would wish to have some proof
of what you say; we may hear a very good tale, and yet none of it shall
be true; we are not men to be made dupes of, besides, there are enough
to take vengeance, if we desire it." "Ay, to be sure there is," said a gruff voice from the other end of the
table, which was echoed from one to the other, till it came to the top
of the table. "Proof! proof! proof!" now resounded from one end of the room to the
other. "My friends," said Sweeney Todd, rising up, and advancing to the table,
and thrusting his hand into his bosom and drawing out the string of
twenty-four pearls, "I challenge you, or any one, to make a set of
artificial pearls equal to these; they are my make, and I'll stand to it
in any reasonable sum, that you cannot bring a man who shall beat me in
my calling." "Just hand them to me," said the man who had made himself interrogator. Sweeney Todd threw the pearls on the table carelessly, and then said--

"There, look at them well, they'll bear it, and I reckon, though there
may be some good judges amongst you, that you cannot any of you tell
them from real pearls, if you had not been told so." "Oh, yes, we know pretty well," said the man, "what these things are, we
have now and then a good string in our possession, and that helps us to
judge of them.