The String of Pearls (1850), p. 210

CHAPTER XLIII.
AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE.

Todd scrambled to his feet. He held his head in his hand.
"What does it all mean? What does it all mean?"
Knock! knock! knock!
Todd's senses were slowly returning to him. He began to recollect events at first confusedly, and then the proper order of their occurrence—how he had
come home, and then heard a noise, and gone up stairs and seen—what?
There he paused in his catalogue of events. What had he seen?"
Knock! knock! knock!
"Curses!" he muttered. "Who can that be hammering with such devilish
perseverance at my door? By all that's horrible they shall pay dearly for thus disturbing me. Who can it be? Not any one to arrest me? No—no! They would not knock so long. An enforced entrance long before this would have brought them to me. What did I see? What did I see? What did I see? Dare I give it a name?"
He slowly descended the stairs, and reaching the shop, he peeped through a place in the door which he had made for such a purpose. There stood the hero of the moustachios knocking away with all his might to get the behests of Mrs. Lovett obeyed. Todd suddenly flung open the door, and in fell Major Bounce, alias Flukes.
"The devil! What do you want?"
"'Pon honour. Damn it. Is this the way to treat a military man?"
Todd turned to the side of the shop, and hastily put on a wig—by an adroit movement of his fingers, he pulled his cravat sufficiently out from his neck to be able to bury his chin in it, and when he turned to the mock major, the latter had no suspicion that he looked upon the same person who had so alarmed him by a look, in Bell Yard.
"Shaved or dressed sir?" said Todd.
"Confound you. Why did you open the door so quick?"
"Thought you knocked, sir."
"I did, but stop my breath, if you haven't given me an ugly fall. But no
matter. None but the brave deserve the fair. You perceive I am a military man?"
"Oh, yes, sir, anybody may see that by your martial air."
"A-hem! You are right. Well then, Mr. Barber, I want my moustache
shaved off. It's a fancy of a lady. One of the most charming of her sex. One with a fifty thousand pound charm. 'Pon my valour, she has. Ah! I am a lucky dog. Thirty-eight—handsome as Apollo, and beloved by the fairest of the fair."

"Life is a jolly thing,
Life is a jolly thing,
While I can drink deep and go frolicking,
Fair maids, wives, and widows,
Fair maids, wives, and widows
Doat on the youth that goes frolicking."

"Ha ! ha ! ha ! Life's a bumper. Upon my valour, Mr. Barber, I feel like
a young colt, that I do."
"Really, sir. You don't say so?"
"Oh, yes, yes! Ha! ha! All's right. All's right. Now, Mr. What's-your-name. Off with the moustache. It's only in the cause of the fair that I would condescend to part with them, that's a fact, but when a lady's in the case—upon my valour, you are an ugly fellow."
"You don't say so," replied Todd, as he made a most hideous contortion.
"Most people think me so fascinating that they stay with me."