To a woman of lively and discursive imagination like Mrs. Lovett,
a plan of operation was not long in suggesting itself. Why, she asked
herself, should she hesitate to put Todd's name to the document
necessary to get her half of the money from the stock-broker? What a
natural consequence from this question it was to ask herself another,
which was--If I am forging Todd's signature at all, might I not do it
for the whole amount as for half, and so take the only revenge upon him
which he would feel, or which I dare offer myself the gratification of
exacting from him? When such a question as this is asked, it is
practically answered in the affirmative. Mrs. Lovett felt quite decided
upon it. She was a woman of courage. No faint-hearted scruple interposed
between the thought and the execution of a project with her. The recent
scene that had taken place in front of her window decided her. Now or
never! she told herself. Now or never is the time to escape. I have
nothing to encumber myself with. Let Todd keep his jewels and trinkets. All I want is the money which is in the hands of Mr. Anthony Brown, the
stock-broker, and that I will have forthwith. Mrs. Lovett did not know
the exact amount; but as it was a joint account, such an amount of
ignorance need not appear at all surprising to the stock-broker; so she
drew up an order for the money, and signed it with both Todd's name and
her own, leaving a blank for the amount. She then carefully locked up
all doors but that of the outer shop, and having procured the services
of a young girl from a greengrocer's shop in the vicinity, to mind the
place for an hour, as she said, she considered she was all right. The
girl had attended to the shop before for Mrs. Lovett at times when no
batches of pies were expected from the regions below, so she did not
feel at all surprised at the call upon her services. "I shall be an hour," said Mrs. Lovett. "You can take a pie or two for
yourself if you feel at all hungry; and if Mr. Todd should come in, say
I'm gone to call upon a dress-maker in Bond-street." "Yes, mum!" Mrs. Lovett left the shop. At the corner of Bell-yard she turned and
cast a glance at it. She hoped it was a farewell one--She shuddered and
passed on; and then she muttered to herself--

"If I am--which assuredly I shall be--successful in the city, I will
take post-horses there at once for some sea-port, and from thence reach
the Continent, before Todd can dream of pursuit, or find out what I have
done, or where bestowed myself." She was not so impudent as to pass Todd's shop, but she went down one of
the streets upon the opposite side of Fleet-street, and came up another,
which was considerably past the house which was so full of horrors. A
lumbering old hackney coach met her gaze. It was disengaged, and Mrs.
Lovett got into it. "To Lothbury," she said; and after swaying to and fro for a few moments,
the machine was set in action, and duly steering up Ludgate Hill. The impatience of Mrs. Lovett was so great, that she would gladly have
done anything to induce the horses to go at a faster rate than the safe
two miles and a half an hour to which they were accustomed, but she
dreaded that if she exhibited any signs of extreme impatience she might
excite suspicion. To the guilty, any observation of a more than ordinary
character is a thing to dread. They would fain glide through life
gently, and not at all do they sigh to be--

    "The observed of all observers." But the longest journey even in the slowest hackney coach must come to
an end. As Ben the beef-eater would have said--"Easy does it;" and as
Mrs. Lovett's journey was anything but a long one, the gloomy precincts
of Lothbury soon loomed upon her gaze. After the customary oscillations,
and wheezing and creaking of all its joints and springs, the coach
stopped. "Wait," said Mrs. Lovett with commendable brevity; and alighting, she
entered a dark door-way upon the side of which was painted, in letters
that had contracted so much the colour of the wood-work that they were
nearly illegible, "Mr. Anthony Brown." This was the stock-broker, who held charge of the ill-gotten gains of
that pair of un-worthies, Mrs. Lovett and Sweeney Todd. A small door,
covered with what had been green baize, but which was now of some
perfectly original brown, opened into the outer office of the man of
business, and there a spruce clerk held dominion. At the sound of the
rustling silks of Mrs. Lovett, he raised his head from poring over the
cumbrous ledger; and then seeing, to use his own vernacular, it was "a
monstrous fine woman," he condescended to alight from his high stool,
and he demanded the lady's pleasure. "Mr. Brown." "Yes, madam. Certainly. Mr. B. is in his private room. What name shall I
have the pleasure of saying?" "Lovett." "Lovett? Yes, madam. Certainly--a-hem! Pray be seated, madam, if you
please." Mrs. Lovett made a gesture of dissent, and the clerk went upon his
errand. He was scarcely absent a moment, and then holding open a door,
he said, with quite a chivalric air--

"This way, if you please, madam.--A monstrous fine woman," he added to
himself. The door closed after Mrs. Lovett, and she was in the private room of
Mr. Anthony Brown. "Ah, Mrs. Lovett. Pray be seated, madam. I am truly glad to see you
well. Well, to be sure, you do look younger, and younger, and younger,
every time I have the pleasure of a visit from you." "Thank you, Mr. Brown, for the compliment. My visits have not been so
numerous as usual of late." "Why, no ma'am, they have not; but I hope we are going to resume
business again in the old way?" "Not exactly." "Well, my dear madam, whatever it is that has procured me the honour and
the pleasure of this visit, I am sure I am very glad of it, and shall
not quarrel with it. He! he! Nice weather, Mrs. Lovett." "Very." "Ah, madam--ah, it was a world of pities to disturb the investments. It
was indeed. But ladies will be ladies." "Sir?" "I--I merely said ladies will be ladies you know. And indeed--he! he!--I
fully expected the interesting ceremony had come off before now, I did
indeed; and I should have wagered a new hat." "Mr. Brown, what are you talking about?" "About?" "Yes, what do you mean?" "Why, a--a--that is--the--a--a--about--concerning--the--my dear madam,
if I have inadvertently trodden upon your sensibilities, I--I really--"

"You really what?" Mr. Brown looked perplexed. Mrs. Lovett looked a little furious. "Sir," she said. "Before I explain the cause of my visit to you, I
insist upon knowing to what all your mysterious hints and remarks
allude. Speak freely and plainly, sir."