The String of Pearls (1850), p. 422

"Oh," she said." Is Mr. Todd in ?"
"No," said Johanna. "No, madam."
Johanna did not think it worth while at that time to expose herself to the great danger of disobeying Todd's positive commands, to say he was not at home, merely upon a point of punctilious truth. Mrs, Lovett looked keenly at her.
"So," she said, "he is out—is he?"
"Yes, madam."
"And you are Mr. Todd's boy?"
The emphasis which Mrs. Lovett placed upon the word boy, rather alarmed Johanna, and she was more terrified when Mrs. Lovett marched twice round her, as though she were performing some incantation, glaring at her all the while from top to toe.
Whatever was Mrs. Lovett's opinion of Johanna, however, she magnanimously kept it to herself; but the young girl had a sort of perception, that her
suit had not escaped the keen and penetrating eyes of Mrs. Lovett. This conviction gave a great air of timidity to Johanna's manner in speaking to the bold
bad woman who confronted her.
"And so he is out?" added Mrs. Lovett.
"Yes, madam."
"How long has he been gone?"
"Only a short time."
"Well, my principal business this day, is to see Mr. Todd. I have made such arrangements at home, that I can wait here the whole day if necessary, for see him I must—and see him I will; I had a sort of presentiment that he might be out, notwithstanding I have an appointment with him."
With this Mrs. Lovett sat down and composed herself evidently for a long wait—she did not sit in the shaving-chair though. Johanna thought that as
she passed it, she rather shuddered; but that might have been a mere fancy upon the part of our young friend.
Mrs. Lovett was not exactly of the shuddering order of human beings.
"Did he say when he should return?"
"No, madam."
All these questions of Mrs. Lovett's were asked with a sneering kind of incredulity, that was quite sufficient to show Johanna how completely she disbelieved the statement concerning the absence of Todd. That she would wait until Todd was perforce obliged to show himself, Johanna did not doubt. There was something about the pale face and compressed lips of Mrs. Lovett that at once bespoke such a determination; but should any scene of unusual violence ensue, Johanna made up her mind to luish from the shop, if near the door, and if not able to do that, to cast a missile through the window, which she knew would bring her immediate help.
"How long have you been with Mr. Todd?" asked Mrs. Lovett of Johanna.
"Only a few days, madam."
"And what made you come?"
"My necessities, madam. I was in want of a situation, and Mr. Todd wanted an errand boy."
"Humph!" said Mrs. Lovett. "This is very strange." She rested her head upon her hand for a few moments, and appeared to be lost in thought, and at times Johanna could see that she was keenly eyeing her. Truly, Johanna had never felt so thoroughly uncomfortable since she had been in Todd's shop, for she could not but feel that she was discovered.
The only question was now whether, when she did see Todd, Mrs. Lovett would think it worth her while to speak of the affair at all. The probability, however, was that she was too much engrossed in the business that brought her there to pay more than a passing attention to a mystery which, to all appearance, could not in any way concern her.
But Todd all this while was a prisoner in his own parlour, and it may