"They think they have me in their
toils--but I shall elude them yet!" He selected a long jagged piece of the broken bason, and dragging down
his cravat with one hand, he was upon the very point of plunging it into
his throat with the other, when the turnkey sprang into the cell. [Illustration: Todd In Newgate, Tries To Commit Suicide.] "Hold a bit!" he cried. "We don't allow that sort of thing here with any
of our customers. You should have thought of those games before you got
into the stone jug!" With one powerful blow, the turnkey struck the piece of the broken bason
from the hand of Todd, and with another he felled him to the floor. "None o' your nonsense," he said; and then he carefully collected the
pieces of the broken bason. "Why should you grudge me the means of death," said Todd, "when you know
that you have brought me here among you to die?" "Contrary to rules." "In mercy, I ask you only to give me leave to take my own life, for I
have failed in the object of my living." "Contrary to rules." The turnkey left the cell, then, as coolly as if nothing had happened,
and carefully locked the door again, while he went to report the
attempted suicide of the prisoner to the proper quarter. Foiled, then, in every way, Todd looked round the cell for some means of
ridding himself of his life and his troubles together; but he found
none. He then paced the cell to and fro like a maniac, as he muttered to
himself--

"All lost--lost--lost--all lost! Foiled, too, at the moment when I
thought myself most secure--when I had made every preparation to leave
England for ever! Oh, dolt that I was, not to have done so long ago,
when I had half--ay, when I had only a quarter of the sum that I should
this day have fled with! In my dreams I have seen myself as I am now,
and the sight has shaken me, but I never thought to be so in reality. Is
there any hope for me? What do they know?--what can they know?" Upon these questions, Todd paused in his uneasy walk in the cell, and
sat down upon the low stool to think. His head rested upon his breast,
and he was profoundly still. CHAPTER CXX. A LUNCHEON AT SIR RICHARD BLUNT'S.--THE DOG AND HIS OLD FRIEND. We willingly leave Todd to his own reflections upon the disastrous state
of his affairs, while we solicit the attention of our readers to the
private house and office of Sir Richard Blunt again, in Craven Street. The worthy magistrate had quite a party to lunch on that day, and he had
fixed the hour as eleven when he wished to see his friends. Those friends consisted of Johanna Oakley, Mark Ingestrie, Mr. and Mrs.
Oakley, Colonel Jeffery, Arabella Wilmot, and Big Ben, who was, at the
special request of Johanna, gladly included in the party. A happier party than that could not very well have been found throughout
the whole length and breadth of London; and there was but one slight
shade of disquietude upon the face of Johanna, when she at times thought
that at one o'clock she would have to attend the police-office at Bow
Street to give her testimony against Todd the murderer. "Well," said Ben, "here we are alive--all alive, and as merry as so many
grigs; and all I can say is, my tulips, that I will show the wild
beasteses to anybody as likes to come to the Tower, free, gratis and for
nothing. Take it easy, Mr. Ingestrie, and don't be casting sheep's-eyes
at Johanna. The little love of a thing ain't at all used to it--indeed,
she ain't; and the only person as she lets love her above a bit, and
takes it easy with, is me; so don't come any nonsense." "But, Mr. Ben," said Mark, "I may look sometimes?" "Yes, now and then, if you take things easy." Old Mr. Oakley had got on his spectacles, and seemed as if he could not
be done looking at Mark Ingestrie; and more than once, or twice, or
thrice, the old gentleman would shake hands with him, telling him that
he looked upon him quite as one risen up from the dead, in a manner of
speaking. "Yes, sir, you may well, indeed, look upon me as such; but I hope now
for long life and happiness." A glance at Johanna was sufficiently expressive of with whom he hoped
for happiness--and that glance was returned with one of those sweet
endearing looks that only those who truly love can cast one upon
another. "And I, too," said Colonel Jeffery, "put in my claim to the happiness of
the future, for am I not blessed with one whom I feel that I can love!" "Stop!" said Arabella. "We won't have any conversation of this sort
before company, colonel, if you please; so I will trouble you to be
quiet." "I am all submission," said the colonel; "and I hope my humble conduct
upon this occasion will be to you all, ladies and gentlemen, a good
example of what I shall be when I am married." This was said in so comical a manner that the whole party laughed
amazingly, and then Sir Richard Blunt said rather gravely--

"I expect two old friends here this morning." "Old friends?" said everybody, in surprise. "Yes. The one is the captain of the ship which brought poor Mr.
Thornhill and his dog home, and who has been to Hamburgh with his
vessel, and the other is the dog himself." At this moment an officer, for Sir Richard was quite wholly attended
upon by the police at that private office of his, came in to say that a
gentleman wanted to see him. "It is the worthy captain," said Sir Richard; "show him in at once." "If you please, Sir Richard," added the officer, "there is a man, too,
with a great dog who wishes to see you, and the dog has been in the hall
once, and walked off with a plate of cheese-cakes and a pickled tongue
that were coming in to your worship." A roar of laughter testified to the amusement which this freak of
Hector's caused, and Sir Richard said--

"Well, I don't know any one who was so much entitled to be invited to
lunch as Hector, and no doubt he thought so too; and as we had not the
courtesy to open the door for him, and properly accommodate him, he has
helped himself on the road, that's all." "Shall I admit him, sir?" "Yes, and the man who is with him. He is one of the witnesses who I
trust will help to bring Todd to justice. Show them all in." In a very few minutes the captain of the vessel, with whom the reader
had some slight acquaintance at the beginning of this most veritable
narrative, made his appearance, and Colonel Jeffery warmly shook hands
with him. The dog knew the colonel and the captain likewise, and was
most vociferous in his joy to see them. It was an affecting thing then to see the creature pause suddenly in his
manifestations of delight, and look sad and solemn, after which he
uttered a dismal howl, and catching the colonel by the skirt of his
coat, he tried to pull him towards the door of the room. "Poor fellow," said the captain, "he does not forget his master yet, I
see." "No," said Colonel Jeffery, "nor never will. If he had his own way now,
and we would follow him, I lay any wager he would take us to Sweeney
Todd's shop." "In course he would, sir," said the ostler. "In course he would.