Lord
bless you, gemmen, if this here dog as I calls Pison, cos why he was
pisoned, was only to get hold of Todd, I would not give much for his
chances. You sees, gemmen, as I have kept him in good condition." "He does look well," said the captain. "Indeed it does you great credit," said Colonel Jeffery; "but his keep
must cost something. There is my guinea towards it." The colonel placed a guinea in the ostler's hand, and his example was
followed by all present, so that the ostler found himself growing quite
a man of substance when he least expected it. "Lor, Pison," he said, "you'll be a fortin for a fellow yet, you will. But I hope, gemmen, as you don't mean to take him away, cos if that's
the caper, here's the money agin, and I'd rather keep Pison. He's got
fond o' me by this time, poor fellow, and I have got fond on him, as I
hav'nt no other brothers and sisters or family of my own." "It would indeed be unfair," said the colonel, "to deprive you of him. But tell me, are you comfortable in your situation?" "Lor bless you, sir, it ain't much of a situation. Lots of hard work,
and werry little for it." "Well, if you like to come into my service and bring Hector with
you--you are welcome." "Oh, won't I, sir, above a bit. Why, Pison, we is promoted, old fellor. We is a going to a new place, where there will be no end of grub, old
chap." "You shall not have any complaints to make in that department," said the
colonel. "So then," said the captain, "it is quite clear that Mr. Thornhill was
murdered by that rascal of a barber?" "Quite," replied Sir Richard Blunt, "and it is for that murder we mean
to try Todd. If, however, by any chance, he should escape conviction
upon that, we will be provided with two more indictments against him, so
that he is tolerably well cared for; but the murder of Mr. Thornhill is
what we mean ostensibly to go upon." "That's right, sir," said the ostler, "and I'll bring Pison as a witness
to all the blessed facts. He'll settle the business, even if the jury is
half as stupid agin as usual." "He will be committed for trial this morning," said Sir Richard Blunt,
"for the murder of Mr. Thornhill; and that woman, Mrs. Lovett, will be
arraigned as an accessory before the fact, so that there can be very
little doubt of the fate of both of them; and if ever two notorious
criminals deserved that the last dread sentence of the law should be
carried out against them, Sweeney Todd and Mrs. Lovett are those two." "They could not be worse," said the captain. "No, that would be impossible," remarked the colonel. "I shall be glad
when this gloomy tragedy is over though. The public mind will soon be
filled with it, and we shall hear of nothing but of Sweeney Todd and
Mrs. Lovett, with all their sayings and doings, for the next few months
to come." "That is true enough," said Sir Richard Blunt. "But I don't think you
will find any but one feeling upon the subject, and that will be one of
universal condemnation." "Not a doubt of it." "There is another too who will suffer the just reward of his crimes,"
said the magistrate glancing at Mrs. Oakley. She shook her head and sighed, for she shrunk naturally from the awfully
responsible share she was condemned to have in the conviction of Mr.
Lupin. "I will do my duty," she said, "in that dreadful piece of business. The
guilt of Lupin, although not so extensive as Todd's, is to the full as
great." "It is indeed, madam." "Ah, yes!" said Ben. "They are a bad lot altogether, and the sooner they
are hung up like a rope of ingions the better. Bless me, I always was
delicate, and so was obliged to take things easy; but I have more than
once looked into that horrid pie shop in Bell Yard, and thought I should
like a smack of about fifteen or twenty of them, just to stay my stomach
till I got home to the Tower; and what a mercy it was I never bought
'em." "It was, indeed, my friend," Sir Richard said. "Yes, you may say that, my dear, sir--you may say that. With my very
delicate stomach, I should have been as good as done brown if I had had
'em. I should have fallen a victim to the wild beasteses, the very next
time as I went a-near 'em; and all I can say is, as I shall be uncommon
glad to show these creatures to any of this company, as will come to the
Tower at feeding time." Ben had made this liberal offer so often that the company left off
thanking him for it; but the ostler whispered to him--

"I'll come and bring Pison." "No, will you though?" said Ben. "Yes, to be sure I will. Who knows but he'd like to see them wild
beasteses, as perhaps he has only heard of 'em in a wery promiscous sort
o' way." "Not a doubt of it," cried Ben, "not a doubt of it--only when he does
come you must tell him to take things easy, and not be discomposed at
any of the roaring and bellowing, as the creatures sets up at times." "Oh, I'll hold him." "You needn't go for to hold him. Just you impress upon him afore he
comes that easy does it, that's all you need do, and then he'll know
very well what to do." "Won't I!" The conversation was rather breaking up into small fragments, when the
magistrate rose from his seat. "Now then," said Sir Richard Blunt, "it is time for us to go to Bow
Street, where I appear as a witness to-day, instead of as a magistrate." As he spoke, the clock in the office sounded the half-past twelve. All the guests of the magistrate rose, for they knew that his duties
were imperative. There was a tone of great gravity now about Sir Richard
Blunt as he spoke--

"I fully expect," he said, "that Todd will be committed for trial and
Mrs. Lovett likewise. Already she has made repeated applications to her
attendants in prison, to be permitted to become evidence against Todd." "Which will surely not be permitted?" said the colonel. "Certainly not; the evidence against him is quite clear enough without
the assistance of Mrs. Lovett, while the proofs of her criminality with
him, are of too strong a character for her to be given any chance of
escape." "She is a dreadful woman." "She is, indeed; but you will all of you soon see how she conducts
herself now, for she will be brought up with Todd." CHAPTER CXXI. TODD IS COMMITTED FOR TRIAL, AND EXPECTS THE WORST. By the time the police office at Bow Street opened upon the morning, a
wild vague, and uncertain sort of rumour had spread itself over London,
concerning the discoveries that had been made at Todd's house in Fleet
Street, and at Mrs. Lovett's in Bell Yard, Temple Bar. Of course, the affair had lost nothing from many-tongued rumour, and the
popular belief was, that Todd's house had been found full of dead bodies
from the attics to the cellars, while Mrs. Lovett had been actually
detected in the very act of scraping some dead man's bones, for tid-bits
to make a veal pie of. A dense crowd had assembled in Fleet Street, to have a look at Todd's
now shut-up house, and that thoroughfare very soon, in consequence,
became no thoroughfare at all.