Of course she would have had no trouble in the world in
going at once to a police-office, and denouncing Todd. That, to be sure,
would have been a great revenge; but then, in the midst of all her
anger, she did not forget that by so doing she had to criminate herself,
and from that moment put an end to all her dreams of revelling in some
foreign land upon the produce of her crimes. Situated, then, as she was, Mrs. Lovett felt that she had no sort of
resource but to follow Todd up, as it were--to keep close to him, and
partly to worry him, and partly to shame him into doing her justice. Well she knew that he was upon the point of fleeing from the scene of
his iniquities; and well she knew what a hindrance it would be to his
arrangements to have her at his elbow continually. And so she thought that he would see it was better to pay her, and be
rid of her, and so every one would have thought; but Todd's nature was
of that mad implacable character, that anything in the shape of
opposition only made a wish a passion. "I will not pay her," he muttered to himself, "if my refusal so to do
brings us both to the gallows!" If Mrs. Lovett could have dived sufficiently deep into Todd's mind to be
aware of this sentiment, she might have changed her tactics; but who
could have thought it? Who could have supposed that any passion but
self-preservation could master all others in his mind? The two boats sped on towards London Bridge--not the elegant structure
that now spans the Thames, but the previous one, with its narrow arches,
and its dangerous fall of water when the tide was ebbing, which was the
case upon this occasion. The watermen looked uneasily at the arch through which it would be
necessary to go, and where the tide was raging with unexampled fury, and
lashing the sides of the arch like a mill-stream, bearing upon its
surface millions of bubbles, and making such a seething roaring sound,
that it was a point of attraction to some idle chance passengers upon
the bridge to watch any adventurous wherry as it shot through the
dangerous passage. "A rough tide, Bill," growled one of the watermen. "Ay," said the other. "Do you want to go through the bridge, master?" Todd smiled grimly as he replied by asking a question. "Is it dangerous?" "Why, you see, master, it may be or it may not. But we are not the sort
to say no, if a fare says as he wants to go through the bridge. To be
sure there be times when there is a squall upon the river, and then any
man may say no." "But that is not now," said Todd. "No, master, that is not now, so if you must go through the bridge, only
say so, and through we go. We have been lots o' times when it's as bad,
ay, and perhaps a trifle waser than it is now. Haven't we, Bill?" "Ay, ay." "If," said Todd, "the lady has no particular objection." "Can we not land upon this side of the bridge?" said Mrs. Lovett. "In course, ma'am," said one of the boatmen. "In course, ma'am." "But," added Todd hastily, "we must, then, until to-morrow, abandon the
business upon which we came, as landing upon this side of the bridge
will not suit me by any means." "Pass through," cried Mrs. Lovett sternly. "I for one will not abandon
the business upon which I came, except with my life. It is more than
life to me, and I will go upon it, let it lead me where it may." "And I," said Todd, in a voice of great indifference, "I, too, am of
precisely that opinion. So through the bridge we must go at any risk, if
you, my men, will take us." "Pull away. Bill," was the only reply of the waterman. "Pull away, Bill,
and keep her steady. On we go." By this time a curious throng of persons had assembled on the bridge to
watch the wherry, for previous to its approach two others had declined
the dangerous passage of the arch, and had landed their passengers at a
small stairs some distance from the strong eddying current that leaped
and bubbled through the arch. It was therefore something of a treat for
the crowd to see their boat make for the dreaded spot, an evident
determination on the part of the rowers to shoot through the arch of the
bridge if it were possible so to do. No one spoke on board the boat. The watermen pulled very steady into the
current, keeping over their shoulders a wary eye upon the head of the
boat. Todd's eyes gleamed like two coals of fire, and Mrs. Lovett was as
pale as death itself. Perhaps at that moment she reflected that she had trusted herself with
all her sins on board that little boat amid the wild rush of waters; but
if she did, she said nothing. Neither by word nor by action did she give
indication of the fear that was tugging at her heart. And now the little wherry was floating in the boiling surge that flew
towards the arch, and made when it got there such a battle to get
through. There was no occasion for pulling. The only good they could now
do with their oars was to steady the little craft, and so far as was
possible to keep her head to the current. That this was done by the two watermen with admirable and practised
skill, every one who watched the progress of the party from the bridge
or elsewhere could perceive; and now the critical moment was at hand,
and the boat being caught like a reed, was swept under the bridge by the
rapid current. "Easy, Bill," cried one of the men. "Easy it is," said the other. "You will upset us, my dear madam," said Todd, "if you move;" and then,
while the two men were fully engaged with the boat, and by far too much
occupied with the necessary movements for the preservation of themselves
and their little craft, Todd, with one blow upon the head, struck Mrs.
Lovett overboard. She uttered a piercing shriek. "What's that?--what's that?" cried the boatmen. The boat scraped against the side of the arch for a moment, and then
shot through it with a terrific bound into the comparatively still water
on the other side of the bridge. "I'm afraid," said Todd, "that the lady has fallen overboard." "Afraid!" cried one of the watermen. "Why, good God! don't you see she
has; and there she goes, along with the stream. Pull away, Bill; don't
you see her? There she goes!" "Alas, poor thing!" said Todd. [Illustration: Old London Bridge.--Todd Tries His Murderous Hand On Mrs. Lovett.] He affected to be overcome by his feelings, and to be compelled to rest
his head upon his hands, while he kept his hot-looking blood-shot eyes
fixed upon the form of Mrs. Lovett in the water. And now a scene ensued of deep interest to Todd--a scene which he
watched with the greatest attention. It was a scene upon the issue of
which he felt that his life depended. If Mrs. Lovett were saved, his life would not be worth an hour's
purchase. If she were drowned, he was, so he fancied, a free man; and he
saw that from the shore several boats put off after her, while the two
men in his wherry pulled as though their lives depended upon hers.