The String of Pearls (1850), p. 74

pronounce the word which would embody them. If, indeed, that fearful-looking man fancied that, by any deed of blood, he could become possessed of such a treasure as that which belonged to Mark Ingestrie, unchristian and illiberal as it may sound, the belief clings to me that he would not hesitate to do it."
"Do not, however, conclude, Johanna, that such is the case. It would appear from all you have heard and seen of these circumstances, that there is some fear-
ful mystery ; but do not, Johanna, conclude hastily that that mystery is one of death."
"Be it so, or not," said Johanna, "I must solve it, or go distracted. Heaven have mercy upon me!—for even now I feel a fever in my brain that precludes almost the possibility of rational thought."
"Be calm, be calm—we will think the matter over calmly and seriously; and who knows but that, mere girls as we are, we may think of some adventitious mode of arriving at a knowledge of the truth; and now I am going to tell you something, which your narrative has recalled to my mind."
"Say on, Arabella, I shall listen to you with deep attention."
"A short time since, about six months, I think, an apprentice of my father, in the last week of his servitude, was sent to the west-end of the town, to take a considerable sum of money; but he never came back with it, and from that day to this we have heard nothing of him, although, from inquiry that my father made, he ascertained that he received the money, and that he met an acquaintance in the Strand, who parted from him at the corner of Milford-lane, and to whom he said that he intended to call at Sweeney Todd's, the barber, in Fleet-street, to have his hair dressed, because there was to be a regatta on the Thames, and he was determined to go to it whether my father liked or not."
"And he was never heard of?"
"Never. Of course, my father made every inquiry upon the subject, and called upon Sweeney Todd for the purpose; but, as he declared that no such person had ever called at his shop, the inquiry there terminated."
"'Tis very strange."
"And most mysterious; for the friends of the youth were indeed indefatigable in their searches for him; and, by subscribing together for the purpose, they offered a large reward to any one who could or would give them information regarding his fate."
"And was it all in vain?"
"All; nothing could be learned whatever. Not even the remotest clue was
obtained, and there the affair has rested, in the most profound of mysteries."
Johanna shuddered, and for some few moments the two young girls were silent.
It was Johanna who broke that silence, by exclaiming—
"Arabella, assist me with what advice you can, so that I may set about what I purpose with the best prospect of success and the least danger; not that I shrink on my own account from risk, but if any misadventure were to occur to me, I might thereby be incapacitated from pursuing that object, to which I will now devote the remainder of my life."
"But what can you do, my dear Johanna P It was but a short time since there was a placard m the barber's window to say that he wanted a lad as an assistant in his business, but that has been removed, or we might have procured some one proceeding situation for the express purpose of playing the spy upon the barber's proceedings."
"But, perchance, still there may be an opportunity of accomplishing something in that way, it you knew of any one that would undertake the adventure."
"There will be no difficulty, Johanna, in discovering one willing to do so although we might be long in finding one of sufficient capacity that we could trust. I am adventurous, Johanna, as you know, and I think I could have got my cousin Albert to personate the character, only that I think he's rather a giddy youth, and scarcely to be trusted with a mission of so much importance "
"Yes, and a mission likewise, Arabella, which, by a single false step, might be made frightfully dangerous."