I am quite willing to tell
all--I don't perhaps know the full extent of Todd's guilt, but I repeat
I will turn king's evidence, and tell all I do know." A gentleman, plainly dressed in black, rose new, and in a calm, assured
voice, said--

"Upon the part of the crown I reject the offer of the female prisoner. Anything she may say will be used as evidence against her, if it bear
that construction." "Reject?" cried Mrs. Lovett. "And pray, sir, who are you that you dare
reject such a proposition for furthering the ends of justice?" "That, madam, is the Attorney-General," said an officer. "Oh," said Mrs. Lovett, "and am I to understand that I am accused of any
participation in Todd's crimes?" "You will find by the evidence that will be adduced against you of what
you are accused," said the magistrate. "You, I believe, Sir Richard
Blunt, give these people in charge?" "Yes," said Sir Richard rising. "I charge them with, in the first place,
the wilful murder of Charles James Thornhill. If your worship should
think fit, from the evidence that will be brought forward, to commit
them upon that charge, I shall not at present trouble you with any
others, although I am fully prepared with several." "What is the meaning of all this?" cried Mrs. Lovett. "I will be heard." Sir Richard Blunt paid no manner of attention to her, but brought before
the magistrate quite sufficient evidence to warrant him in committing
both the prisoners for trial. The only great effect that the proceedings seemed to have upon Todd
consisted in his surprise when Johanna Oakley came forward, and to her
examination he listened attentively indeed. When she related how, under
the name of Charles Green, she had taken the situation of errand boy at
Todd's shop, and been in daily communication with Sir Richard Blunt,
Todd dashed his clenched fist against his own head, crying--

"Dolt--Idiot--idiot! and I did suspect it once!" Johanna went on then to state how in hunting over Todd's shop and house
for some vestige of Mark Ingestrie, the sleeve of a seaman's jacket was
found, which she had thought belonged to him, but which would be
identified by the captain of the ship as having been part of Mr.
Thornhill's apparel when he went on shore upon that fatal morning of his
murder, no doubt by Todd. The evidence against Mrs. Lovett consisted of the fact of there being an
underground communication all the way from the cellars of Todd's house
to her cooking concern; and Mark Ingestrie had quite enough to tell of
that to make it tolerably clear they acted in concert. Of course there could be but one opinion in the minds of all present of
the guilt of the prisoners; but it was necessary that that guilt should
be legally as well as morally proved, and hence the evidence was very
carefully arranged to meet the exigencies of the case. "Have you any legal adviser?" said the Magistrate to Todd. "No," was the brief response. The same question was put to Mrs. Lovett, but she did not answer, and
the death-like paleness of her countenance sufficiently testified that
it was out of her power to do so. In another moment, overcome by dread
and chagrin, she fainted. "Is she dead?" said Todd. No one replied to the question, and he added--

"Look to her well or she will yet baffle you. If ever the spirit of a
fiend found a home in any human brain it is in that woman's. I say to
you, look to her well, or she will still baffle you all by some rare
device you little dream of." Mrs. Lovett in her insensible state was carried from the court, and a
surgeon was in prompt attendance upon her. It was found that there was
nothing the matter with her; she had merely fainted through sheer
vexation of spirit at finding that her overtures to be evidence against
Todd were not attended to in the way she had wished; for now, with the
loss of everything but life, how glad she would have been to back out of
those odious transactions which clung to her. Todd was asked if he had anything to say. "Really," he said. "I do not know what it is all about. I am a poor
humble man, who get but a scanty living by shaving any kind customer,
and all this must be some desperate conspiracy against me on the part of
the Roman Catholic, I think." "The Roman Catholics?" "Yes, your worship. I never would shave or dress the hair of a Roman
Catholic if I knew it, and more than one of that religion have sworn to
be avenged upon me." "And is this your defence?" "Yes, exactly; it is all I can say; and if I perish, it will be as one
of the most innocent of men who ever was persecuted to death." "Well," said the magistrate, "I have heard many a singular defence, but
never one like this." "It's--it's truth," said Todd, "that staggers your worship." "Well, you can try what effect it will have upon a jury. I commit you
for trial on the charge of wilful murder." "Murder of whom?" "Charles James Thornhill." "Oh, your worship, he is alive and well, and now in Havannah. If I have
murdered him, where is the body?" "We are prepared," said the Attorney General, "with that objection. At
the trial we will tell the jury where the body is." Mrs. Lovett, now having sufficiently recovered, was brought into court
to hear that she was committed for trial, but she made no remark upon
that circumstance whatever; and in the course of a few moments another
shout from the multitude without announced that the prisoners were off
to Newgate. CHAPTER CXXII. A LARGE PARTY VISITS BIG BEN AND THE LIONS IN THE TOWER. On the morning following the committal of Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd
to Newgate for trial, a rather large party met at the office of Sir
Richard Blunt, in Craven Street, Strand. The fact was that after the
proceedings at the police-office, Big Ben had earnestly besought them
all to name the day to visit him and the lions in the Tower, and as no
day was so convenient to Sir Richard as that immediately following, it
was arranged that they were all to meet at the private office in Craven
Street, and go there by water to the Tower. The sun shone beautifully; and to look at that party no one would have
supposed that there had ever been such persons as Sweeney Todd and Mrs.
Lovett in the world. The party consisted of Colonel Jeffery, Tobias, Mr. and Mrs. Oakley,
Minna Gray, Johanna, Mark Ingestrie, Arabella Wilmot, and the
fruiterer's daughter from Fleet Street, who had been so kind to Johanna
during that very sad and anxious time that she had passed while in the
temporary service of Todd. [Illustration: Tobias And Minna Rejoice At The Capture Of Todd And Mrs. Lovett.] So happy-looking and smiling a party surely could not have been found in
all London, as they made up. It will be seen that there were no less
than three couples intent upon matrimony, for although it was understood
that Tobias was to wait two years yet before he married, he looked as
happy as the rest.