The String of Pearls (1850), p. 199

that made Mr. Otton jump again, and nearly induced the shoemaker to run out
of the shop into the street.
"No," said the beadle; and taking off his hat, he felt his hair, as though to
satisfy himself that it was all there, just as usual. "No."
Todd looked as though he would have shaved him with extreme pleasure, and
advancing a few steps, he added—
"Then what is it that you bring your wieldy carcase here for, you gross lump of stupidity? Ha! ha! ha!"
"What? Conwulsions!"
"Pho!—Php! Can't you take a joke, Mr. Otton? I know you well enough. It's my funny way to call people, whom I admire very much, all the hard names I can think of."
"Is it?"
"Oh, dear, yes. I thought you and all my neighbours knew that well enough.
I am one of the drollest dogs alive. That I am. Won't you sit down?"
"Well. Mr. Todd, a joke may be a joke." The beadle looked very sententious at this discovery. "But you have the oddest way of poking your fun at any one that ever I heard of; but, I comes to you now as a respectable parishioner, to—"
"Oh," said Todd, putting his hands, very deliberately into his pockets, "how much?"
"It ain't anything to pay. It's a mere trifle. I just want to go up to your front attic, and—"
"What?"
"Your front attic, and get out of the window to look into the front attic next
door. We won't trouble you if you will oblige us with a candle. That's all."
Todd advanced two steps further towards the beadle and looked peeringly in
his face. All the suspicious qualities of his nature rose up in alarm. Every
feeling of terror regarding the instability of his position, and the danger by
which he was surrounded, rushed upon him. At once he conjectured that danger
was approaching him, and that in this covert manner the beadle was intent upon
getting into the house, for the purpose of searching it to his detriment. As the
footpad sees in each bush an officer, so, in the most trivial circumstances, even the acute intellect of Sweeney Todd saw dangers, and rumours of dangers, which no one but himself could have had the remotest idea of. He glared upon the beadle with positive ferocity, and so much affected was Otton by that lynx-like observation of Sweeney Todd's, that he stepped aside and disclosed that he was not alone. If anything could have confirmed Todd in his suspicions that there was a dead-set at him, it was finding that the beadle was not alone. And yet the shoemaker was well known to him. But what will lull such suspicion as Sweeney Todd had in his mind? Once engendered, it was like the jealousy that—

"Makes the meat it feeds on!"

He advanced, step by step, glaring upon the beadle and upon the shoemaker.
Reaching up his hand, he suddenly turned the lamp that hung from the ceiling
clear round, so that, in lieu of its principal light falling upon him, it fell upon the
faces of those who had paid him so unceremonious a visit.
"Lawks!" said the beadle.

"Excuse us, Mr. Todd," said the shoemaker, "1 assure you we only meant—"

"What?" thundered Todd. Then suddenly softening his voice, he added—
"You are very welcome here indeed. Pray what do you want?"
"Why, sir," said Otton, "you must know that this gentleman has a lodger."
"A what ?"
"A lodger, sir, and so you see that's just the case. You understand that this lodger—lor, Mr. Todd, this is your neighbour the shoemaker, you know. The