The String of Pearls (1850), p. 135

maniac. He has a fancy that some one named Sweeney Todd is a murderer, and
that he can discover his bad practices. On all other subjects he is sane enough;
but upon that, and upon his presumed freedom from mental derangement, he is furious."

"It is false, sir, it is false!" said Tobias, stepping up. "Oh, sir, if you are not one of the creatures of this horrible place, I beg that you "will hear me, and let justice be done."

"Oh, yes—I—I—eugh! Of course—I—eugh!"

"Sir, I am not mad, but I am placed here because I have become dangerous
to the safety of criminal persons."

"Oh, indeed! Ah—oh—yes."

"I am a poor lad, sir, but I hate wickedness; and because I found out that Sweeney Todd was a murderer, I am placed here."

"You hear him, sir," said Fogg; "just as I said."

"Oh, yes, yes. "Who is Sweeney Todd, Mr. Fogg?"

"Oh, sir, there is no such person in the world."

"Ah, I thought as much—I thought as much—a sad case, a very sad case, indeed. Be calm, my little lad, and Mr. Fogg will do ail that can be done for you, I'm sure."

"Oh! how can you be so foolish, sir," cried Tobias," as to be deceived by that man, who is making a mere instrument of you to cover his own villany?

"What I say to you is true, and I am not mad !"

"I think, Dr. Popplejoy," said Fogg, with a smile, "it would take rather a cleverer fellow than I am to make a fool of you ; but you perceive, sir, that in a little while the boy would get quite furious, that he would. Shall I take him away?"

"Yes, yes—poor fellow!"

"Hear me—oh, hear me," shrieked Tobias. "Sir, on your death-bed you may repent this day's work—I am not mad—Sweeney Todd is a murderer—he is a barber in Fleet-street—I am not mad?"

"It's melancholy, sir, is it not?" said Fogg, as he again made an effort to wipe away a tear from his eyes. "It's very melancholy."

"Oh ! very, very."

"Watson, take away poor Tobias Ragg, but take him very gently, and stay with him a little, in his nice comfortable room, and try to soothe him; speak to him of his mother, Watson, and get him round if you can. Alas, poor child! my heart quite bleeds to see him. I am not fit exactly for this life, doctor, ought to be made of sterner stuff, indeed I ought."

***

"Well," said Mr. Watson, as he saluted poor Tobias with a kick outside the door, "what a deal of good you have done?"

The boy's patience was exhausted; he had borne all that he could bear, and this last insult maddened him. He turned with the quickness of thought, and sprang at Mr. Watson's throat. So sudden was the attack, and so completely unprepared for it was that gentleman, that down he fell in the passage, with such a blow of his head against the stone floor that he was nearly insensible;
and, before anybody could get to his assistance, Tobias had so pommelled and clawed his face, that there was scarcely a feature discernible, and one of his eyes seemed to be in fearful jeopardy. The noise of this assault soon brought Mr. Fogg to the spot, as well as old Dr. Popplejoy, and the former tore Tobias from his victim, whom he seemed intent upon murdering.