Well, I must even be content with
that which I have: I don't think any one will be the richer for what is
here. No, no. It could not have escaped my search, and if it has done so
by a miracle, or next thing to one, it will remain until the house falls
to pieces years hence, perhaps, and fall into the hands of some one when
I am de--No--no--what puts that word _dead_ into my mouth? I hate to
think of it! I am young in constitution, and shall live many--many years
yet; oh, yes, I--I need have no fear of death." Todd glared round him as though he expected that the very
impersonification of the grim King of Terrors would rise up before him
to take vengeance for being treated so slightingly; but all was still. He wiped his brow again with the lace cap of Mrs. Lovett, which he had
mechanically retained when he left the bed-room, and then he began to
ask himself what should be done with the shop. "For a few hours yet," he said, "a few short hours, there must be no
disturbance and no commotion in this neighbourhood with which my name
may possibly be connected. After that, they may do what they like and
say what they like, but now all must be peace and silence. What shall I
do with this confounded shop, now? I wish I had not given so strong a
dose of the narcotic to you, old woman, left in charge by Mrs. Lovett. Ah, what is that?" The sound from the shop as of some one being violently sick, came upon
Todd's ears. "Ah," he said, "so the narcotic has taken that effect, has it, upon Mrs.
Lovett's representative? Well, well, she will recover from it much
sooner than I thought she would, and that will now be all the better,
for it absolves me of my difficulty about the shop for the next few
hours." He walked into the shop and found Mrs. Stag sitting up behind the
counter, and in rather a dubious condition as regarded the peace of her
stomach. "Well, ma'am," said Todd. "How are you now?" "The Lord have mercy upon us!" "Amen! But how came you in this state, ma'am?" "The pies, sir. The pies. You really have no idea of how very rich they
are, sir. It's all along of the pies, that's all, sir; but I am getting
better, though my head is none of the best." "Yes," said Todd. "Of course it was the very rich pies. It could not
have been what you drank." "Oh, no, no. Oh, dear no. That wasn't enough to hurt an infant, sir, as
you ought to know. What a mercy it is that Mrs. Lovett has not come
home, for she is rather a violent woman at times. It's really quite a
mercy." "She won't be home just yet, I think," said Todd. "You will have time to
get completely to rights before you see her, and when you do see her I
would advise you to make your peace with the other world as quickly as
you can!" Todd closed the parlour door; and as it was only the lock that had
given, it did not show much symptoms of what had happened to it; as that
in all likelihood Mrs. Stag, supposing that it was fast as she had first
found it, would not pay any attention to it or scrutinise it
sufficiently to be aware that it had been at all tampered with by any
one. "Only a few hours after all," muttered Todd, "and then I don't care what
anybody thinks or says about this shop and its affairs, or about me in
connection with them. Ah, I had quite forgotten. I wonder what Mrs.
Lovett's cook is about?" Todd paused, and gave some few moments' thought to the cook. He had an
idea of going down to the oven cellar, and killing him, so that he might
feel quite certain he was out of the way of perpetrating any mischief;
but a second thought determined him in the other way. "No--no," he said. "What can he do? No doubt the house will be shut
after a time, and then he will starve to death. Ha!" CHAPTER CII. TAKES A SLIGHT GLANCE AT TOBIAS AND HIS INTENDED. The idea of the cook being starved to death, had quite reconciled Todd
to the notion of leaving him alone; so he left the shop, and proceeded
to his own domicile in Fleet Street, and as nothing of great moment has
occurred during his absence, we will take the liberty of conducting the
reader to the house of Colonel Jeffery, and taking a slight peep at our
old friend Tobias, whom we left in rather a critical position. Tobias had been in so delicate a condition, prior to the last outrage of
Todd at the colonel's house, that one might suppose such a thing would
go far towards terminating his mortal career, and so indeed it did; but
in youth there is such a tenacity to life that we may fairly look for
the most extraordinary things in the shape of clinging to the vital
principle, and in the way of getting over injuries. Poor Tobias was, to
be sure, thrown back by Todd's attack, but he was not destroyed. The
medical man gave it as his opinion, that the mental shock was by far
worse than the physical injury, and he said to the colonel--

"Some means must be devised to make him believe that he is quite free
from any further attack upon the part of Todd, or he will never recover. He will awaken, it is true, from the trance he is now in, but it will be
to all the horrors and dread of some expected fresh attack from Todd." "But I will assure him of my protection," said the colonel. "I will in
the most positive manner tell him that he shall here be perfectly safe
from that man." "Excuse me, colonel," replied the surgeon, "but all that was done
before, and yet Tobias has found that Todd reached him, even in one of
the rooms of this house. You will find that he will be very sceptical
regarding your powers to protect him now from that bold and infamous
man. I hope I am not offending you, colonel, by my plain speaking?" "Not at all my dear sir, not at all. Do not think of such a thing. Plain
speaking, when it is dictated by friendly feeling, is one of the most
admirable things in all the world, and no one can possibly admire it
more than I do. I feel, too, the full force of what you have said, and
that to the ears of Tobias it would sound like a farce for me to offer
to protect him from the further assaults of Sweeney Todd." "But something may be done that is quite of a decisive character upon
the subject, colonel." "What do you mean?" "I mean, that to sick folks I say anything that I think will tend to
their recovery, even although I may feel that I am a little
transgressing the bounds of truth. We must consider what we say to
people in the position of Tobias, as so much medicine artfully
administered to him." "I quite agree with you, and I feel that you have some important
suggestion to make to me regarding Tobias. What is it?" "Then, colonel, if I were you, I should not hesitate for one moment to
tell him that Todd was dead." "Dead?" "Yes, that is the only thing that will thoroughly convince Tobias he has
nothing further to fear from him. I think it not only one of those
delusions that are in themselves harmless, but I think it a justifiable
dose of moral medicine." "It shall be done," said the colonel. "It shall be done. I do not
hesitate about it for a moment.