The String of Pearls (1850), p. 315

"Will is a short word, my dear, for you to use. How do you mean to do it, eh?"
A door opened, and with his hat on, ready to go out, Sir Richard Blunt himself appeared. Another minute and Arabella would have missed him, and then God knows where, for the next twelve hours, he would be.
"What is this, Davis?" he said.
"Here's a little 'un, says she will see you, Sir Richard."
"Ah, thank God!" cried Arabella, rushing forward and catching a tight hold of the magistrate by the arm. "Yes, I will see you, sir; I have a matter of life
and death to speak to you of."
"Walk in," said Sir Richard. "Don't hurry yourself in the least, Miss. Pray be composed; I am quite at your disposal."
Arabella followed him into a small room. She still kept dose to him, and in her eagerness she placed her hand upon her breast, as she said—
"Sir—sir. You—and you only. Todd, Todd—oh, God! he will kill her, and I am more her murderer than he. Johanna—Johanna, my poor Johanna!"
Sir Richard slightly changed colour at the sound of those names; and then he said, calmly and slowly—
"I don't think, unless you can assume a greater command of your feelings, that you will ever be able to tell me what you came about."
"Oh, yes—yes."
"Be seated, I pray you."
"Yes—yes. In a moment. Oh, how calm and unimpassioned you are, sir."
"It would not do for us both to lose our judgment."
Arabella began to feel a little piqued, and that feeling restored her powers to her, probably quicker than any other could have possibly done. She spoke rapidly, but distinctly.
"Sir, Miss Johanna Oakley has gone to Sweeney Todd's to find out what has become of Mr. Mark Ingistrie, and I advised her to do so; but now the knowledge that I did so advise her has driven me nearly mad. It will drive me quite mad!"
Sir Richard rose from the arm chair into which he had thrown himself, and said—
"Miss Oakley?" said you. "Why—why—what folly. But she has gone home again."
"No, she is disguised as a boy, and has taken the situation that Todd put a placard in his window about, and she will be found out of course, and murdered."
"No doubt of it."
"Oh, God! Oh, God! Is there no lightning to strike me dead?"
"I hope not," said Sir Richard Blunt; "I don't want a thunder storm in my parlour." ^
" But, sir—"
"But, Miss Wilmot. Is she there now?"
"She is—she is."
"When did she go?"
"About two hours since. Oh, sir—you must do something—you shall do something to save her, or I will run into the streets, and call upon any passenger I meet, that has the form of a man, to aid me; I will raise the town, sir, but I will save her."
"That course would be about as wise as the original advice to Miss Oakley to go upon the expedition at all. Now answer me calmly what I shall ask of you."
"I will—I will."
"What is the prime cause of action that Miss Oakley projects as the result of this disguised entrance into Todd's shop, provided he be deceived by it?"
"To search the place upon the first opportunity for some relic of Mark Ingestrie, and so put an end to the torturing suspense regarding his fate."