"No, presuming upon his innocence, certainly; but we will say nothing
about all that, and remember we must come in as perfect strangers,
knowing nothing of the affair of the dog, and presuming nothing about
the disappearance of any one in this locality." "Agreed, come on; if he should see us through the window, hanging about
at all or hesitating, his suspicions will be at once awakened, and we
shall do no good." They both entered the shop and found Sweeney Todd wearing an
extraordinary singular appearance, for there was a black patch over one
of his eyes, which was kept in its place by a green riband that went
round his head, so that he looked more fierce and diabolical than ever;
and having shaved off a small whisker that he used to wear, his
countenance, although to the full as hideous as ever, certainly had a
different character of ugliness to that which had before characterised
it, and attracted the attention of the colonel. That gentleman would
hardly have known him again any where but in his own shop, and when we
come to consider Sweeney Todd's adventures of the preceding evening, we
shall feel not surprised that he saw the necessity of endeavouring to
make as much change in his appearance as possible, for fear he should
come across any of the parties who had chased him, and who, for all he
knew to the contrary, might, quite unsuspectingly, drop in to be shaved
in the course of the morning, perhaps to retail at that acknowledged
mart for all sorts of gossip--a barber's shop--some of the very
incidents which he has so well qualified himself to relate. "Shaved and dressed, gentlemen?" said Sweeney Todd, as his customers
made their appearance. "Shaved only." said Captain Rathbone, who had agreed to be principal
spokesman, in case Sweeney Todd should have any remembrance of the
colonel's voice, and so suspect him. "Pray be seated," said Sweeney Todd to Colonel Jeffery. "I'll soon
polish off your friend, sir, and then I'll begin upon you. Would you
like to see the morning paper, sir? it's at your service. I was just
looking myself, sir, at a most mysterious circumstance, if it's true,
but you can't believe, you know sir, all that is put in newspapers." "Thank you--thank you," said the colonel. Captain Rathbone sat down to be shaved, for he had purposely omitted
that operation at home, in order that it should not appear a mere excuse
to get into Sweeney Todd's shop. "Why, sir," continued Sweeney Todd, "as I was saying, it is a most
remarkable circumstance." "Indeed!" "Yes, sir, an old gentleman of the name of Fidler had been to receive a
sum of money at the west-end of the town, and has never been heard of
since; that was yesterday, sir, and here is a description of him in the
papers of to-day. 'A snuff-coloured coat, and velvet smalls--black
velvet, I should have said--silk stockings, and silver shoe-buckles, and
a gold-headed cane, with W. D. F. upon it, meaning "William Dumpledown
Fidler"--a most mysterious affair, gentlemen.'" A sort of groan came from the corner of the shop, and, on the impulse of
the moment, Colonel Jeffery sprang to his feet, exclaiming--

"What's that--what's that?" "Oh, it's only my apprentice, Tobias Ragg. He has got a pain in his
stomach from eating too many of Lovett's pork pies. Aint that it,
Tobias, my bud?" "Yes, sir," said Tobias with another groan. "Oh, indeed," said the colonel, "it ought to make him more careful for
the future." "It's to be hoped it will, sir; Tobias, do you hear what this gentleman
says: it ought to make you more careful in future. I am too indulgent to
you, that's the fact. Now, sir, I believe you are as clean shaved as
ever you were in your life." "Why, yes," said Captain Rathbone, "I think that will do very well; and
now, Mr. Green"--addressing the colonel by that assumed named--"and now,
Mr. Green, be quick, or we shall be too late for the duke, and so lose
the sale of some of our jewels." "We shall indeed," said the colonel, "if we don't mind. We sat too long
over our breakfast at the inn, and his grace is too rich and too good a
customer to lose--he don't mind what price he gives for things that take
his fancy, or the fancy of his duchess." "Jewel merchants, gentlemen, I presume," said Sweeney Todd. "Yes, we have been in that line for some time; and by one of us trading
in one direction, and the other in another, we manage extremely well,
because we exchange what suits our different customers, and keep up two
distinct connexions." "A very good plan," said Sweeney Todd. "I'll be as quick as I can with
you, sir. Dealing in jewels is better than shaving." "I dare say it is." "Of course, it is, sir; here have I been slaving for some years in this
shop, and not done much good--that is to say, when I talk of not having
done much good, I admit I have made enough to retire upon quietly and
comfortably, and I mean to do so very shortly. There you are, sir,
shaved with celerity you seldom meet with, and as clean as possible, for
the small charge of one penny. Thank you, gentlemen--there's your
change; good morning." They had no resource but to leave the shop; and when they had gone
Sweeney Todd, as he stropped the razor he had been using upon his hand,
gave a most diabolical grin, muttering--

"Clever--very ingenious--but it won't do. Oh dear, no, not at all! I am
not so easily taken in--diamond merchants, ah! ah! and no objection, of
course, to deal in pearls--a good jest that, truly, a capital jest. If I
had been accustomed to be so easily defeated, I had not now been here a
living man. Tobias, Tobias, I say." "Yes, sir," said the lad, dejectedly. "Have you forgotten your mother's danger in case you breathe a syllable
of anything that has occurred here, or that you think has occurred here,
or so much as dream of?" "No," said the boy, "indeed I have not. I never can forget it, if I were
to live a hundred years." "That's well, prudent, excellent, Tobias. Go out now, and if those two
persons who were here last, waylay you in the street, let them say what
they will, and do you reply to them as shortly as possible; but be sure
you come back to me quickly and report what they do say. They turned to
the left, towards the city--now be off with you." *       *       *       *       *

"It's of no use," said Colonel Jeffery to the captain; "the barber is
either too cunning for me, or he is really innocent of all participation
in the disappearance of Thornhill." "And yet there are suspicious circumstances. I watched his countenance
when the subject of jewels was mentioned, and I saw a sudden change come
over it; it was but momentary, but still it gave me a suspicion that he
knew something which caution alone kept within the recesses of his
breast. The conduct of the boy, too, was strange; and then again, if he
has the string of pearls, their value would give him all the power to do
what he says he is about to do--viz., to retire from business with an
independence." "Hush! There, did you see that lad?"