Mrs. Lovett, Mrs. Lovett, we are neglecting you! Excuse us, fascinating piece of wickedness. We are now in Bell-yard again. It will be recollected1 what a mental ferment2 the appearance of Ben, and Arabella, and Sir Richard Blunt, at the window of her shop had put her in. Not that she knew any of those parties—nor that she connected any of them in any way with her feelings, except so far as their attitudes might at that moment lead her to suppose. The attitudes certainly were such as to create suspicion. All this, joined to the previous state of mind of Mrs. Lovett, did not tend to produce that heavenly calm, which philosophers tell us is such a remarkably3 nice thing. On the contrary, the mind of Mrs. Lovett rather resembled a raging torrent4, boiling and bubbling to some destruction which was afar off, and which could only be reached through the perils6 and dangers of some stormy passage. She was sighing for peace. She had begun to sicken for the results of her life of iniquity—not those results which an indignant and outraged7 public would have visited her with, but those results which she and all persons, who deliberately8 and systematically9 commence a career of guilt10, picture to themselves. Criminality is never engaged in for its own sake. There is always some ultimate object in view, which makes the retrospect11 less horrible, and the prospect12 dim and dubious13, though it may be yet a thing of pleasurable anticipation14. Of course, we are only reasoning upon those minds that reflect. There are many who lead a life of criminality, who do so as the manifestation15 of an intellect that can picture nothing else. But the reader knows that Mrs. Lovett was not of such an order. She was to some extent an educated, and to a considerable extent a clever woman. Hence, then, she had always pictured to herself wealth and retirement16, respect and power, as the ends for which she was striving with such unscrupulous means. But of late, with a shuddering17 horror, she had begun to dread18 that all she had hoped for was getting only more distant. She had contracted a strong notion of the bad faith of Todd, and if such were really the case, all was indeed lost. If he allowed his cupidity19 just to induce him to commit the crime that would be one too many, destruction must fall upon them both. If likewise he instantly made an effort to take to himself all the profits of the unholy traffic that they were mutually engaged in, all would be lost to both; for was she a likely woman to crouch21 down in silence under such a blow? No! the scaffold prepared by her instrumentality for Todd, would be scarcely less a triumph to her that she herself would share it with him. He ought to have known better than he did. How clear and long-sighted we find people upon subjects that from this distance may be supposed to present difficulties, and yet how shallow they are upon what is close to them. One would have thought that such a man as Todd could easily have said to himself, with regard to Mrs. Lovett, "I dare not tamper22 with the objects of that woman," and he would have said it with truth; but on the contrary, he only looked upon her as a convenient tool, which was to be thrown aside when it had served all the purposes for which he intended it. There could not have been a more fatal mistake upon the part of Todd as concerned his safety. But to return to Mrs. Lovett. The brandy she had promised to the prisoner was quite forgotten. She sat revolving23 in her mind, how she could put an end to the state of horrible doubt and perplexity in which she was. There were some little difficulties in the way of Mrs. Lovett emerging from her present condition. It has been before hinted at, that Todd and the fair lady of the pie-shop had between them accumulated a large sum of money, and that the money was duly deposited in the hands of a stock-broker, who was by no means to part with it to either of them, except upon an order signed by both. So far all looked fair enough; and as they were likewise bound together by such a bond of mutual20 guilt, it did not look likely that either would make an endeavour to get the better of the other. Suppose there was ￡40,000 in the hands of the stock-broker, it did not seem, we say, under all the circumstances likely that Todd—being fairly entitled as between them, to ￡20,000—would peril5 the safety of both their necks, by getting up a quarrel about the division equitably24 of the spoil. The same reasoning will apply to Mrs. Lovett. But these unlikely things are the very things that do come to pass to upset the finest plans. Todd never from the first—whenever that was—meant that Mrs. Lovett should share with him; no, he thought that he, as the superior genius, the greater villain25, would manage to cheat her, and that she would, for her own safety's sake, be obliged to put up with what he chose to give her. That would have been only such a pittance26, as to keep her constantly in a state of dependance upon him. Now, to do Mrs. Lovett justice upon the old equitable27 principle of giving the devil his due, she never had any intention, until she saw symptoms of bad faith in Todd, of attempting to act otherwise than fairly by him. She loathed28 him; and all she meant to do, was when the division of the spoil should take place, to ascertain29 where he was going, and then to get as far off him as possible. Of late, however, finding that Todd was getting lucky, and feeling quite convinced that he aimed at her life, other views had dawned upon her, as we are already well aware. She did not so much care for all the money as she would have liked in her retirement, wherever it was, to have felt sure that Todd was not
"An inhabitant of the earth;"
and hence she had taken the pains, all of which had been frustrated30, to put him into another world. But a feeling, superstitiously31 consequent upon her failure, had started up in her mind that he bore a charmed life; and hence she bethought herself of flying from England; but the money—how was she to get the money to do so? How was she, without his cognisance, to get her share of the funds which had been placed in the hands of a stock-broker? Now, since she had begun to feel uncomfortable regarding the faith of Todd, Mrs. Lovett had kept what cash she saved at home; therefore some weeks had elapsed since she had paid a monetary32 visit to the city. If she had gone as usual, she might have got some news. To a woman of lively and discursive33 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 exacting34 from him? When such a question as this is asked, it is practically answered in the affirmative. Mrs. Lovett felt quite decided35 upon it. She was a woman of courage. No faint-hearted scruple36 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 encumber37 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 joint38 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 procured40 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 batches41 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 shuddered42 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 bestowed43 myself."
She was not so impudent44 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 considerably45 past the house which was so full of horrors. A lumbering46 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 steering47 up Ludgate Hill.
The impatience48 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 dreaded49 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 glide50 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 loomed51 upon her gaze. After the customary oscillations, and wheezing52 and creaking of all its joints53 and springs, the coach stopped.
"Wait," said Mrs. Lovett with commendable54 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 illegible55, "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 perfectly56 original brown, opened into the outer office of the man of business, and there a spruce clerk held dominion57. At the sound of the rustling58 silks of Mrs. Lovett, he raised his head from poring over the cumbrous ledger59; and then seeing, to use his own vernacular60, it was "a monstrous61 fine woman," he condescended62 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 dissent63, and the clerk went upon his errand. He was scarcely absent a moment, and then holding open a door, he said, with quite a chivalric64 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 fully39 expected the interesting ceremony had come off before now, I did indeed; and I should have wagered65 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?"
"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 allude67. Speak freely and plainly, sir."
"Well then, madam, when Mr. Todd was last here, he said that you had at last consented to reward years of devotion to you by becoming his, and that the ceremony which was to make him a happy man by uniting him to so much excellence68 and beauty, was to come off almost immediately, and that that was the reason you had both agreed to withdraw all the money I had in such snug69 and comfortable safe investments for you both. He! he! he!"
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1
recollected
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| adj.冷静的；镇定的；被回忆起的；沉思默想的v.记起，想起( recollect的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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2
ferment
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| vt.使发酵；n./vt.（使）激动，（使）动乱 | |
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3
remarkably
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| ad.不同寻常地，相当地 | |
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4
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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peril
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| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
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6
perils
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| 极大危险( peril的名词复数 )； 危险的事（或环境） | |
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7
outraged
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| a.震惊的，义愤填膺的 | |
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8
deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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9
systematically
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| adv.有系统地 | |
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10
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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11
retrospect
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| n.回顾，追溯；v.回顾，回想，追溯 | |
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12
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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13
dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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14
anticipation
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| n.预期，预料，期望 | |
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15
manifestation
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| n.表现形式；表明；现象 | |
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16
retirement
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| n.退休，退职 | |
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17
shuddering
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| v.战栗( shudder的现在分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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18
dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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19
cupidity
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| n.贪心，贪财 | |
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20
mutual
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| adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的 | |
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21
crouch
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| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
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22
tamper
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| v.干预，玩弄，贿赂，窜改，削弱，损害 | |
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23
revolving
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| adj.旋转的，轮转式的；循环的v.（使）旋转( revolve的现在分词 )；细想 | |
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24
equitably
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| 公平地 | |
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25
villain
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| n.反派演员，反面人物；恶棍；问题的起因 | |
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26
pittance
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| n.微薄的薪水，少量 | |
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27
equitable
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| adj.公平的；公正的 | |
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28
loathed
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| v.憎恨，厌恶( loathe的过去式和过去分词 )；极不喜欢 | |
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29
ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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30
frustrated
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| adj.挫败的，失意的，泄气的v.使不成功( frustrate的过去式和过去分词 )；挫败；使受挫折；令人沮丧 | |
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31
superstitiously
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| 被邪教所支配 | |
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32
monetary
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| adj.货币的，钱的；通货的；金融的；财政的 | |
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33
discursive
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| adj.离题的，无层次的 | |
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34
exacting
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| adj.苛求的，要求严格的 | |
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35
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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36
scruple
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| n./v.顾忌，迟疑 | |
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37
encumber
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| v.阻碍行动，妨碍，堆满 | |
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38
joint
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| adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合 | |
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39
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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40
procured
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| v.（努力）取得， （设法）获得( procure的过去式和过去分词 )；拉皮条 | |
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41
batches
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| 一批( batch的名词复数 )； 一炉； （食物、药物等的）一批生产的量； 成批作业 | |
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42
shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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43
bestowed
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| 赠给，授予( bestow的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
impudent
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| adj.鲁莽的，卑鄙的，厚颜无耻的 | |
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45
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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46
lumbering
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| n.采伐林木 | |
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47
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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48
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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49
dreaded
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| adj.令人畏惧的；害怕的v.害怕，恐惧，担心( dread的过去式和过去分词) | |
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50
glide
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| n./v.溜，滑行；(时间)消逝 | |
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51
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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52
wheezing
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| v.喘息，发出呼哧呼哧的喘息声( wheeze的现在分词 )；哮鸣 | |
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53
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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54
commendable
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| adj.值得称赞的 | |
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55
illegible
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| adj.难以辨认的，字迹模糊的 | |
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56
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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57
dominion
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| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
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58
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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59
ledger
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| n.总帐，分类帐；帐簿 | |
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60
vernacular
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| adj.地方的，用地方语写成的；n.白话；行话；本国语；动植物的俗名 | |
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61
monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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62
condescended
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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63
dissent
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| n./v.不同意，持异议 | |
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64
chivalric
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| 有武士气概的，有武士风范的 | |
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65
wagered
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| v.在（某物）上赌钱，打赌( wager的过去式和过去分词 )；保证，担保 | |
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66
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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67
allude
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| v.提及，暗指 | |
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68
excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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69
snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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