The String of Pearls (1850), p. 384

had taken a passage, telling him that the ships stores would not be ready until to-morrow, when at one hour before sunrise he would sail."
"Then you want to keep him in his shop another day?"
"I do. I hope and expect that during that day, something may occur to clear up the mystery that still attaches to the mode in which he commits his murders."
"It may so."
"I think I can take measures by running some little personal risk to make it do so; but something must be hit upon to calm his mind, regarding this affair at your house now, for he will expect nothing but instant arrest on its account."
"What can I do?"
"If you will be guided by me you will write Todd a letter, threatening him that if there is any more interference with Tobias, you will prosecute him, but that you will, if you hear no more of him at your house, say nothing of the past. You need be under no fear that he will derive any future advantage from such a promise, as any charge against him connected with poor Tobias will sink into insignificance, compared with other offences."
"True! true!"
''Such a letter, couched with the one concerning the non-departure of the ship, may keep him in his shop over to-morrow."
"And then—"
"Then he sleeps in Newgate, from which building he steps on to the scaffold.:
"But has he not sent many trunks and packages to the ship?"
"Yes, and I have as regularly removed them all to the police-office at Bow Street. We have already some thousands of pounds worth of property of the most costly description."
"But Johanna? What is to become of her?"
"You may depend upon it that Todd will pursue the same course with her that he did with Tobias. He will give her a trifle of money, and tell her to get a night's lodging out; and in that case she knows where to come to be quite safe and comfortable. But if such should not be the case, my protecting arm is over her; I think I can almost defy Todd to do her any injury."
"Think you so?"
"Yes, I have made such arrangements that if she were missed only for ten minutes, Todd's house would be searched from top to bottom. I would not, for this right hand, that any harm should come to her."
"Nor I—nor I."
"Be at ease regarding her, colonel."
"I know how fully we may trust to you, and therefore I will be at ease regarding her; and I will at once write the letter to Todd you suggest to me."
"Do so. His fears upon your account must be calmed down."
The colonel accordingly wrote the necessary note to Todd. Of course, neither he nor Sir Richard Blunt knew that Todd had another reason for wishing to be off that night, which consisted in his great unwillingness to meet Mrs. Lovett in the morning; for it will be recollected that he had an appointment with that lady upon money matters at an early hour.
The reader is now fully aware of how matters stand, and will be able to comprehend easily the remarkable events which rapidly ensued upon this state of things, and therefore we can at once return to Todd.
We left him upon his door-step.
It was never Todd's custom to walk at once into his house as any one else would do upon their arrival, whose
"Conscience was not redolent of guilt!"
but he would peep and pry about, and linger like a moth fluttering around a candle, or a rat smelling at some tempting morsel, which might be connected with some artfully contrived trap, before he entered.