I thinks I sees me." "Not I," said the churchwarden. "Cover it up--cover it up. I don't want
to go down. I would not do so for a thousand pounds." A covert smile was upon the lips of Sir Richard Blunt as he heard this,
and he added--

"Very well; I have no objection, of course, to its being at once covered
up; and I think the least that is said about it, will be the better." "No doubt of that," said the churchwarden. "Conwulsions! yes," said the beadle. "If I was only quite sure as all my
ribs was whole, I shouldn't mind; but somebody stood a-top of me for a
good quarter of an hour, I'm sure." Some of the workmen now began to arrive, and Sir Richard Blunt pointed
to them, as he said to the churchwarden--

"Then the stone can be replaced without any difficulty, now; and, sir,
let me again caution you to say nothing about what has passed here
to-day." "Not a word--not a word. If you fancy somebody stood upon your ribs, Mr.
Beadle, I am quite sure somebody did upon mine." The workmen were now directed to replace the stone in its former
position; and when that was completely done, and some mortar pressed
into the crevices, Sir Richard Blunt gave a signal to Crotchet to follow
him, and they both left the church together. "Now, Crotchet, understand me." "I'll try," said Crotchet. "No one, for the future, is to be shaved in Sweeney Todd's shop alone." "Alone?" "Yes. You will associate with King, Morgan, and Godfrey; I will stand
all necessary expenses, and one or the other of you will always follow
whoever goes into the shop, and there wait until he comes out again. Make what excuses you like. Manage it how you will; but only remember,
Todd is never again to have a customer all to himself." "Humph!" "Why do you say humph?" "Oh, nothing partickler; only hadn't we better grab him at once?" "No; he has an accomplice or accomplices, and their discovery is most
important. I don't like to do things by halves, Crotchet; and so long as
I know that no mischief will result from a little delay, and it will
not, if you obey my instructions, I think it better to wait." "Very good." "Go at once, then, and get your brother officers, and remember that
nothing is to withdraw your and their attention from this piece of
business." "All's right. You know, Sir Richard, you have only to say what's to be
done, and it's as good as done. Todd may shave now as many people as he
likes, but I don't think he'll polish 'em off in his old way quite so
easy." "That's right. Good day." "When shall we see you, Sir Richard?" "About sunset." By the time this little conversation was over, Sir Richard Blunt and
Crotchet had got through Temple Bar, and then they parted, Crotchet
taking his way back to Fleet Street, and Sir Richard Blunt walking
hastily to Downing Street. When he got there he entered the official
residence of the Secretary of State for the Home Department, and being
well known to the clerk, he was at once conducted into a little room
carefully hung round with crimson cloth, so as to deaden the sound of
any voices that might be raised in it. In the course of a few minutes a
small door was opened, and a shabby looking man entered, with a
hesitating expression upon his face. "Ah, Sir Richard Blunt," he said, "is that you?" "Yes, your lordship, and if you are disengaged for a few minutes, I have
something to communicate." "Ah, some new plot. Confound those Jacobin rascals!" "No, my lord, the affair is quite domestic and social. It has no shade
of politics about it." The look of interest which the face of the secretary had assumed was
gone in a moment, but still he could not very well refuse now to hear
what Sir Richard Blunt had to say, and the conference lasted a quarter
of an hour. At its termination, as Sir Richard was leaving the room, the
secretary said--

"Oh, yes, of course, take full discretionary powers, and the Home-office
will pay all expenses. I never heard of such a thing in all my life." "Nor I, my lord." "It's really horrible." "It is even so far as we know already, and yet I think there is much to
learn. I shall, of course, communicate to your lordship anything that
transpires." "Certainly--certainly. Good day." Sir Richard Blunt left the Secretary of State, and proceeded to his own
residence, and while he is there, making some alteration in his dress,
we may as well take a glance at Crotchet, and see what that energetic
but somewhat eccentric individual is about. After parting with Sir
Richard Blunt at Temple Bar, he walked up Fleet Street, upon Sweeney
Todd's side of the way, until he overtook a man with a pair of
spectacles on, and a stoop in his gait, as though age had crept upon
him. "King," said Crotchet. "All right," said the spectacled old gentleman in a firm voice. "What's
the news?" "A long job, I think. Where's Morgan?" "On the other side of the way." "Well, just listen to me as we walk along, and if you see him, beckon
him over to us." As they walked along Crotchet told King what were the orders of Sir
Richard Blunt, and they were soon joined by Morgan. The other officer,
Godfrey, who had been mentioned by the magistrate, was sent for. "Now," said Crotchet, "here we are, four of us, and so you see we can
take it two and two for four hours at a stretch as long as this
confounded barber's shop keeps open." "But," said Morgan, "he will suspect something." "Well, we can't help that. It's quite clear he smugs the people, and all
we have got to do is to prevent him smugging any more of 'em you see." "Well, well, we must do the best we can." "Exactly; so now keep a bright look out, and hang it all, we have been
in enough rum adventures to be able to get the better of a rascally
barber, I should think. Look out--look out; there's somebody going in
now." CHAPTER LI. JOHANNA RUSHES TO HER DESTINY. Johanna had enough confidants now. Her father--Colonel Jeffery--Big
Ben--and Arabella Wilmot, all knew

    "The sad story of her love." It will be a hard case if, among so many councillors, she hits upon the
worst--a most truly hazardous course of proceeding; but then it is a
fault of the young to mistake daring for ability, and to fancy that that
course of proceeding which involves the most personal risk is
necessarily the most likely to be successful. Colonel Jeffery was, of
all Johanna Oakley's advisers, the one who was most likely to advise her
well, but unfortunately he had told her that he loved her, and from that
time, with an instinctive delicacy of feeling which no one could have to
greater perfection than Johanna, she had shunned him. And yet the
reader, who knows the colonel well, knows that, quite irrespective of
the attachment that had sprung up in his bosom for the beautiful and
heart-stricken girl, he would have played the part of a sincere friend
to her and stood manfully between her and all danger. But it was not to
be. From the moment that he had breathed to her the secret of his
attachment, a barrier was, in her imagination, raised between them.