The String of Pearls (1850), p. 478

"Ah, Sir Richard! my dear riend, it is, indeed, you, and I am safe again&£8212;I am safe!"
"Certainly you are safe; and permit me to say that you have all along been tolerably safe, Johanna. But how very incautious you are, Here I have come into the shop, and actually stood by you for some few moments, you knowing nothing of it! What now if Todd had so come in?"
"He would have killed me."
"He might have done so. But now all J anger is quite over, for you will have protectors at your hand. Do you know where Todd has gone?"
"I do not."
"Well, it don't matter. Let me look at this largest cupboard. I wonder if it will hold two of my men? Let me see. Oh, yes, easily and comfortably. I will be back in a moment."
He went no further than the door, and when he came back, he brought with him Mr. Crotchet and another person, and pointing to the cupboard, he said&£8212;
"You will stow yourselves there, if you please, and keep quiet until I call upon you to come out."
"I believe you," said Crotchet. "Lord bless you, we shall be snug enough. How is you, Miss O.? I suppose by this time you feels quite at home in your breech&£8212;"
"Silence!" said Sir Richard. "Go to your duty at once, Crotchet. Miss Oakley is in no humour to attend to you just now."
Upon this, Mr. Crotchet and the other man got into the cupboard, and a chair was placed against it; and then Sir Richard said to Johanna&£8212;
"I will come in to be shaved when I know that Todd is here, and your trials will soon be over."
"To be shaved?&£8212;By him?"
"Yes. But believe me there is no danger. Any one may come here now to be shaved with perfect safety. I have made such arrangements that Todd cannot take another life."
"Thank Heaven!"
"Here is a letter from your friend, Miss Wilmot, which I promised her I would deliver to you. Be careful how you let Todd see it. Read it at once, and then you had better destroy it at once. I must go now; but, of course, if you should be in any danger, call upon my men in the cupboard to assist you, and they will do id at once, although it may spoil my plot a little."
"Oh! how much I owe you."
"Nay, nay, no more upon that head. Farewell now, for a brief space. We shall very soon meet again. Keep a fair and agreeable face to Todd, if you can, for I do not wish, if it can possibly be helped, anything to mar the plot I have got up for his absolute conviction upon abundant testimony."
Sir Richard shook hands with Johanna, and then hastily left the shop, for he did not wish just k then to be found there by Todd, who might return at any moment.
The moment he was gone Johanna eagerly opened the letter that had been brought to her, and found it to contain the following words:&£8212;
"My Dear Johanna,&£8212;This is a selfish letter; for as I cannot see you, I think I should go mad if I did not write to you; so I do so for the ease of my own heart and brain. For the love of Heaven, and for the love of all you hold dear in this world, get away from Todd as quickly as you can; and when I see you again, I shall have something to say to you which will give you more pleasure than ever, with my bad advice, I have given you pain.
Sir Richard Blunt has kindly promised to give this to you, and you know that am&£8212;Your ever affectionate Arabella."
"Yes," said Johanna, when she had finished the epistle. "In truth I know you are ever my affectionate Arabella, and I am most happy in such a friend.