But the time will come, Mrs.
Lovett, when you will see my conduct in a different light, and you will
smile at the suspicion which you say you now entertain, but which
sometimes I cannot help thinking are not the genuine sentiments of your
heart." "Come--come, at once." "I must wait for the boy; I cannot leave the shop until the boy is here
to mind it in my absence.--Oh, here he is." At this moment, Johanna, who had not troubled herself to go to the
market at all, came back. "Well, what is the exact time," said Todd, "by St. Dunstan's?" "A quarter-past eleven, sir." "How very satisfactory. I am only going a little way with this lady, and
will soon be back. You can keep up the fire, Charley, and in that corner
you will find some religious tracts, which will I hope improve your
mind. Above all things, my lad, never neglect your religious exercises. I hope you said your prayers last night, Charley?" "I did, sir," said Johanna, and she said it with a look that added the
query, "did you say your's?" Todd hesitated a moment, as though something were passing through his
mind respecting Johanna, and then he muttered to himself--

"There is time enough, yet." No doubt he had begun to entertain serious suspicions of Master Charley,
and in those few words was alluding to his intention of taking his life
before the coming night. "Now, my dear Mrs. Lovett," said Todd, as he put on his hat, and pressed
it down unusually over his brows, "I am ready." "And I," she said. Todd only glanced round the shop, to be certain that he had left
everything as he wished it, and he tried the parlour door. Then he at
once stalked into Fleet Street, followed by Mrs. Lovett. "It will look better for you to take my arm," he said. "I don't care how it looks," she replied. "All I want is my money. Do
not touch me, or you will see good cause shortly to me having done so. Go on and I will follow you; but if you attempt to escape me, I will
raise the street in pursuit of you, by screaming out that you are Todd
the mur--"

"Hush--hush, woman. Do you know where you are?" "Yes, in the street, but I do not care. All I want is my money, and I
will have it." "Curses on you and your money too," muttered Todd, as he crossed Fleet
Street, and turned up Bridge Street at a rapid pace. He passed all the
turnings leading to the city, and kept on his way towards the bridge. Mrs. Lovett followed him closely. "Stop!" she said. "Stop!" Todd stopped and turned about. He was mortally afraid that she would
carry out some of her threats if he exhibited anything of a restive
spirit towards her. "Whither are you going?" she said. "This is not the way to the City." "It is by the Thames." "By the Thames?" "Yes, I go by water; I do not wish to run the risk of meeting all sorts
of people in the streets. I have not communicated to you that we are in
great danger, but it is a fact. I do not now think that I shall get
fairly off, but you will, if I am not interfered with before you get
your money. By taking a boat at the stairs here by Blackfriars Bridge,
we can be landed at a spot within about twenty yards of the
banking-house, which will be by far the safer route." Mrs. Lovett did not much fancy the river excursion; but she considered
that after all there would be a waterman in the boat, and that the river
at that time of the day was populous, so she thought that Todd dared not
attempt anything. "Very well," she said; "so that we are quick, I care not." "I am to the full," said Todd, "as anxious as you can be to get the job
settled." Mrs. Lovett thought that there was something ominous in the way in which
he pronounced the word "job;" but then she thought perhaps she was too
critical, and she followed him to the stairs by the side of the old
bridge, certainly not without suspicions, but they were only general
ones. The idea struck her, however, that she should be safer with two
watermen, and she said--

"We will have two men, and by so doing we shall go quicker down the
stream." "So we shall," said Todd; "it is a good idea. Hilloa! first oars,
here--first oars!" "Here you are, sir," said a waterman. "We want a couple of you," said Todd. "Yes, your honour. Here we are--me and my mate. All's right, your
honour. Now, Bill, look alive.--Mind the step, ma'am. That's yer sort. Where to, your honour?" "To Pigs Quay." "Ay, ay. Give way, Bill, give way. A nice day for the water, your
honour; a fine fresh air, and not too much of it. Easy, Bill." "Very," said Todd, as he took his place beside Mrs. Lovett in the stern
of the boat, which in a moment, propelled by the vigorous strokes of the
two rowers, shot out into the middle of the stream. He whispered to Mrs.
Lovett--"Now, how delightful it would be if you and I, with all our
money, were going from England to-day!" "No." "No? Why, I cannot conceive anything more pleasant. Ha! ha!" Both Todd and Mrs. Lovett were so much occupied in watching each other,
that they did not perceive another boat push off from the same stairs at
which they had embarked with two men in it, and which kept in their wake
pretty closely. The two watermen of Todd's boat, however, saw it, and
they looked at each other, but they said nothing. They went upon the
wise plan, that it was no business of theirs; and so they pulled away,
while Todd glanced uneasily into the pale face of Mrs. Lovett. To say that Mrs. Lovett kept an eye upon Todd, would be but faintly to
express the feline-like watchfulness with which she regarded him, as
they sat together in the boat. There was not the slightest movement of
his eye--the least twitch of a muscle of his face, that she did not
observe, and strive to draw some conclusion from; and he felt that his
very soul was being looked into by that bold woman, who had been the
companion of his iniquity, and whom he was now plotting and planning, by
some mad desperate means, to deprive of her share of that ill-gotten
wealth, which never in this world, even if ten times the amount, could
make either of them happy. CHAPTER XCVII. THE ATTEMPTED MURDER ON THE THAMES. The boat that followed Todd did not, after a time, keep quite in the
wake of the one containing him and Mrs. Lovett. It rather went on a line
parallel to it, but it kept at a convenient distance; and there were
those in that boat, who never took an eye off Todd and his female
accomplice. It must not be for one moment supposed that Mrs. Lovett was quite
deceived by Todd's representations concerning the money; but then it
must be considered that, with all her cunning, that lady was in a very
difficult position indeed--one that it was impossible to change for the
better. If she had boldly told Todd that she doubted--nay, that she absolutely
disbelieved all that he said about the money being lodged with a firm in
the city, she gained nothing, but simply placed herself in a position
that forced upon her some violent action. What that action could be would have been Mrs. Lovett's great
difficulty.