The judge shook his head as if he rather doubted Sweeney Todd's implicit2 promise that he would not again interrupt the proceedings3; and among the whole of the spectators of that most extraordinary trial, the most intense interest was evidently rather on the increase than the diminution5.
The judge finding that Todd did not again say anything for a few moments, slightly inclined his head to the Attorney-General, as much as to say—"Pray get on, now that there seems an opportunity of so doing;" and that personage, learned in the law, accordingly rose again, and having adjusted his gown, addressed himself again to the case before him, with his usual skill.
"My lords, and gentlemen of the jury—
"If this were only some ordinary everyday proceeding4, I should not sit so calmly under the indecorous interruptions of the prisoner at the bar; but when I feel, in common with all here present, that that person has so great a stake as his life upon the issue of this investigation6, I am disposed in all charity to allow a latitude7 of action, that otherwise would not, and could not, be endured.
"Gentlemen of the jury, I yet hope that these unseemly interruptions are over, and that I shall be permitted in peace to make those remarks to you, which it is my duty to make on behalf of the crown, who prosecutes8 in this serious case.
"Nothing can be further from my wish than to heighten by any strength of phraseology or domestic detail the case against the prisoner at the bar. I shall confine myself to a recital9 of the bare facts of the case, feeling that, while I cannot detract from them, they are of such a character of horror, as to require no adventitious10 aid from the art of the orator11.
"Gentlemen, it appears that the prisoner at the bar is arraigned12 for the wilful13 murder of Francis Thornhill. From what information we have been able to collect, the prisoner, Sweeney Todd, is a native of the north of England. He came to London about eighteen years ago, and was in very great poverty, when he opened a small barber's shop in Crutched14 Friars. He remained in that shop about seventeen months, and then paid one hundred and twenty-five pounds for the lease of a house in Fleet Street, for which he was thus only to pay a rental15 to the Skinners' Company of seventeen pound ten per annum, he consenting to keep the premises16 in ordinary repair.
"The lower part of this house had been a small hosier's; but the prisoner at the bar altered it into a barber's shop, and he has there continued to reside until his arrest upon the serious charge which we are brought here to investigate.
"What were the pursuits of the prisoner during his occupancy of that house, it is not our province just now to inquire, as all our attention must be directed to a consideration of the one charge, to answer to which he stands at the bar of this court; and I shall, therefore, proceed to detail the evidence upon which the prosecution17 founds that charge:—
"It appears that upon the third day of August last, a ship of 400 tons burthen, called the Star, arrived in the London Docks. On board of that ship was the captain, and a crew of nine seamen18, and two boys. As passengers, there was a Colonel Jeffery, and a Mr. Thornhill, whose death is the motive19 of the present proceedings. There was likewise a large dog named Hector on board the vessel20, which was very much attached to Mr. Thornhill.
"Now, gentlemen of the jury, it had so happened that Francis Thornhill had been commissioned, during the progress of a wreck21 at sea by a young gentleman named Mark Ingestrie, to take a certain String of Oriental Pearls, valued at somewhere about sixteen thousand pounds sterling22, to a young lady in London, named Johanna Oakley; and this Francis Thornhill, fully23 believing that Mark Ingestrie had perished at sea, was most anxious to fulfil his request regarding this valuable and important String of Pearls.
"As early as possible he landed from the ship, taking the String of Pearls with him, and his faithful dog Hector accompanied him on shore."
At this moment, Hector, who was in court, having for the second time heard his name mentioned, began to think probably that something was going on concerning him, and he set up a loud bark of defiance24.
The effect of this was greatly to interest some of the auditory, while it brought a smile to the faces of others. Todd turned deadly pale, and in a voice of alarm, he cried—
"Keep off the dog—keep off the dog, I say!"
"Bow!—wow!—wow!" barked Hector again.
"That dog," said the judge, "must be immediately removed from the court. Officers, see to it."
"I beg, my lord," said the Attorney-General, "that you will allow him to remain, for I assure your lordship that he is a witness in this most important case."
"A witness?"
"Yes, my lord; I speak advisedly, and as a favour I hope your lordship will permit him to remain."
"Will anybody keep him quiet?"
"Oh, yes, your worship," cried the ostler. "I'll keep Pison like a mouse as has fainted clean away."
"Who is that man, and what does he say?" said the judge.
"My lord," said the Attorney-General, "he says he can keep the dog quite quiet if you will allow him to remain."
"Oh, very well. Pray proceed, Mr. Attorney."
The Attorney-General then resumed.
"With the String of Pearls then, and the dog, which the jury have seen, Mr. Francis Thornhill went into the City to fulfil the request of Mark Ingestrie. The address he had was to Mr. Oakley, a spectacle-maker in the City, with whom Miss Oakley, who was to have the String of Pearls, resided.
"Gentlemen of the jury, neither Francis Thornhill nor the String of Pearls ever reach their destination. It appears that on his route, Thornhill went into the shop of the prisoner at the bar to be shaved, and no one ever saw him come out again. The dog though was found sitting at the door of the shop, and when Todd opened his shop-door, the dog rushed in and brought out his master's hat.
"Gentlemen, the captain of the ship and Colonel Jeffery, both became very anxious concerning the fate of Mr. Thornhill, and they made every inquiry25. They questioned the prisoner at the bar, who at once admitted that he had shaved him, but stated that he had left his shop when that operation was over. The captain of the Star was compelled to go to Bristol with his ship, but Colonel Jeffery, in conjunction with a friend, pressed his inquiries26 about Mr. Thornhill without success. The matter appeared to be involved in the most profound mystery, and the only hope of an elucidation27 of it, consisted in the probability that such a valuable piece of property as the String of Pearls would be sure to turn up some day in some one's possession. Gentlemen, it did so turn up. It appeared that at Hammersmith resided a Mr. John Mundell, who lent money upon securities, and it will be deposed28 in evidence, that one evening the prisoner at the bar, magnificently attired30, and in a handsome coach, went to this Mr. Mundell, and pawned31 a string of pearls for some thousands of pounds.
"It is to be regretted that this Mundell cannot be brought before the jury. He is dead, gentlemen; but a confidential32 clerk of his, who saw the prisoner at the bar, will depose29 to the facts.
"We thus then, gentlemen of the jury, commit the prisoner with the disappearance33 of Thornhill, and now we come to the strongest features of this most remarkable34 case.
"It appears that for a considerable time past, the church of St. Dunstan's had become insufferable from a peculiar35 stench with which the whole of that sacred edifice36 appeared to be constantly filled, and it baffled all the authorities to account for it.
"No one had been entombed in any of the vaults37 beneath the church for a considerable time, and in fact, there was no apparent reason for the frightful39 miasmatic40 odour that upon all occasions filled the edifice, and day by day got worse instead of better. Scientific men, gentlemen of the jury, were consulted with regard to this stench in the church, and various very learned theories were broached41 upon the subject; but no one thought of making an accurate examination of the vaults beneath the church, until Sir Richard Blunt, the well-known magistrate42, privately43 undertook it.
"Gentlemen, Sir Richard Blunt found that almost every vault38 was full of the fresh remains44 of the dead. He found that into old coffins45, the tenants46 of which had mouldered47 to dust, there had been thrust fresh bodies with scarcely any flesh remaining upon them, but yet sufficient to produce the stench in the church, by the effluvia arising from them, and finding its way into the pews. In one vault, too, was found the contents of which were too horrid48 for description; suffice it that it contained what butchers, when speaking of slaughtered49 animals, call the offal. The stench in St. Dunstan's Church was no longer a mystery.
"Well, gentlemen of the jury, Sir Richard Blunt persevered50 in his investigations51, and found that there was an underground connection from exactly beneath the shaving shop of the prisoner at the bar, and the cellarage of a house in Bell Yard, Temple-bar, which was his property; and which was in the occupation of a female, named Lovett, who this day would have stood at the bar by the side of the prisoner, had she not, despite every vigilance used to prevent such an act, succeeded in poisoning herself, while in prison in Newgate.
"Gentlemen of the jury, it will be shown in evidence that the way the larger portion of the flesh of Todd's victims was got rid of was by converting it into meat and pork pies upon the premises of Mrs. Lovett.
"Beneath Todd's shop was found a diabolical52 contrivance, by which he could make any one he pleased fall through the floor upon the chair they sat on to be shaved, while an empty chair, in all respects similar, took the place of the one that had been occupied by the unfortunate victim. If the unhappy man, thus betrayed in a moment of confidence, was not killed by the fall, he would, at all events, be sufficiently53 stunned54 to become an easy prey55 to Sweeney Todd, when he chose to go down and despatch56 him.
"And now, gentlemen of the jury, and you, my lord, I may be told that these wholesale57 murders have nothing to do with the indictment58, which simply charges the prisoner at the bar with the wilful murder of Francis Thornhill; but I reply that it was impossible to make apparent to the jury the mode by which Francis Thornhill came by his death, without going into these painful details. Todd's house was found crammed59 with property and clothing sufficient for one hundred and sixty people!"
"Yes, gentlemen of the jury; and among that clothing is the sleeve of a jacket, which will be sworn to as having belonged to Francis Thornhill; but we have yet more cogent61 evidence of the fact that Thornhill met his death at the hands of the prisoner at the bar. His hat, gentlemen, will be identified by the dog now in court. But, gentlemen, is that enough? No, the law wisely looks for the body of a murdered man; and I do not call to mind an instance of a conviction following from murder where there has not been some satisfactory identification of the remains of the murdered man. We will produce that proof. Among the skeletons found contiguous to Todd's premises, was one which will be sworn to as being that of the deceased, Mr. Thornhill. One bone of that skeleton will be produced in court, and sworn to by a surgeon who had the care of it, when once fractured on board ship, and who, from repeated examinations such a surgeon only could make, knows it well."
This announcement on the part of the Attorney-General, produced an enormous amount of excitement in court, for many persons had come, prepossessed with the idea that the non-production of the dead body of the alleged62 murdered man would be a serious hitch63 in the prosecution.
Todd looked up, and in a loud clear voice he cried—
"No! no!"
"Yes," added the Attorney-General. "Yes. Gentlemen of the jury, that is all I have to say for the prosecution. The facts are as clear as light, and you will hear from the mouths of creditable witnesses the various particulars which it has been my duty on behalf of the prosecution to lay before you this day."
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1
insanity
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| n.疯狂，精神错乱；极端的愚蠢，荒唐 | |
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2
implicit
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| a.暗示的，含蓄的，不明晰的，绝对的 | |
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3
proceedings
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| n.进程，过程，议程；诉讼(程序)；公报 | |
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proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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5
diminution
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| n.减少；变小 | |
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6
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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latitude
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| n.纬度，行动或言论的自由(范围)，(pl.)地区 | |
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8
prosecutes
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| 检举、告发某人( prosecute的第三人称单数 )； 对某人提起公诉； 继续从事（某事物）； 担任控方律师 | |
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9
recital
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| n.朗诵，独奏会，独唱会 | |
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10
adventitious
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| adj.偶然的 | |
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11
orator
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| n.演说者，演讲者，雄辩家 | |
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12
arraigned
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| v.告发( arraign的过去式和过去分词 )；控告；传讯；指责 | |
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13
wilful
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| adj.任性的，故意的 | |
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14
crutched
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| 用拐杖支持的，有丁字形柄的，有支柱的 | |
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15
rental
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| n.租赁，出租，出租业 | |
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16
premises
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| n.建筑物，房屋 | |
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prosecution
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| n.起诉，告发，检举，执行，经营 | |
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18
seamen
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| n.海员 | |
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19
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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20
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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21
wreck
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| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
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22
sterling
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| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
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23
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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24
defiance
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| n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗 | |
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25
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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26
inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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elucidation
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| n.说明，阐明 | |
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28
deposed
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| v.罢免( depose的过去式和过去分词 )；（在法庭上）宣誓作证 | |
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29
depose
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| vt.免职；宣誓作证 | |
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30
attired
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| adj.穿着整齐的v.使穿上衣服，使穿上盛装( attire的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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31
pawned
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| v.典当，抵押( pawn的过去式和过去分词 )；以（某事物）担保 | |
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32
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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33
disappearance
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| n.消失，消散，失踪 | |
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34
remarkable
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| adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的 | |
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35
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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36
edifice
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| n.宏伟的建筑物(如宫殿，教室) | |
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37
vaults
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| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
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38
vault
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| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
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39
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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40
miasmatic
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| adj.毒气的，沼气的 | |
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41
broached
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| v.谈起( broach的过去式和过去分词 )；打开并开始用；用凿子扩大（或修光）；（在桶上）钻孔取液体 | |
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42
magistrate
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| n.地方行政官，地方法官，治安官 | |
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43
privately
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| adv.以私人的身份，悄悄地，私下地 | |
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44
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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45
coffins
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| n.棺材( coffin的名词复数 )；使某人早亡[死，完蛋，垮台等]之物 | |
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46
tenants
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| n.房客( tenant的名词复数 )；佃户；占用者；占有者 | |
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47
mouldered
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| v.腐朽( moulder的过去式和过去分词 )；腐烂，崩塌 | |
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48
horrid
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| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
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49
slaughtered
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| v.屠杀，杀戮，屠宰( slaughter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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50
persevered
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| v.坚忍，坚持( persevere的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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51
investigations
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| （正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究 | |
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52
diabolical
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| adj.恶魔似的，凶暴的 | |
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53
sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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54
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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55
prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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56
despatch
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| n./v.(dispatch)派遣；发送；n.急件；新闻报道 | |
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57
wholesale
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| n.批发；adv.以批发方式；vt.批发，成批出售 | |
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58
indictment
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| n.起诉；诉状 | |
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59
crammed
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| adj.塞满的，挤满的；大口地吃；快速贪婪地吃v.把…塞满；填入；临时抱佛脚( cram的过去式) | |
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60
pervaded
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| v.遍及，弥漫( pervade的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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61
cogent
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| adj.强有力的，有说服力的 | |
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62
alleged
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| a.被指控的，嫌疑的 | |
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63
hitch
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| v.免费搭(车旅行)；系住；急提；n.故障；急拉 | |
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