The String of Pearls (1850), p. 587

CHAPTER CXXXVII.
THE MURDER AT CAEN WOOD, HAMPSTEAD.

It would be quite impossible to describe the effect that was produced upon Lupin and Sweeny Todd, by this heroic conduct on the part of the young lady, from whom they did not in the least expect any such active resistance to their proceedings.
Lupin was constitutionally, by far the greater coward of the two, and when he saw the bright barrel of the pistol in such startling and unexpected contiguilty to his head, he at once stepped back, and missing his footing, fell down the stairs to the landing-place immediately below that flight.
Todd thought that there would be just a chance of dashing in upon the young lady and disarming her of her pistols ; but now that both of them were levelled at him, and she began to cry out "Help! help! thieves!" again, louder than before, he reluctantly abandoned the idea, and turning, he bounded down the staircase.
The young lady leant over the stair-head and fired one of the pistols after him, which so accelerated the movements of Todd, that he tumbled right over Mr. Lupin, and fell down all the way to the hall with Lupin after him.
Under any other circumstances than the dangerous and exciting ones in which they were in, no doubt they would both of them have been too much hurt to do anything but lie on their backs in the hall; but the feeling that if they were taken it would be to death, was sufficient to rouse them, and they both scrambled to their feet.
Lupin got the street-door open, and dashed out closely followed by Todd. A watchman tried to stop them, but him they felled with a blow, and then off went Lupin down a cross-street, that led him into Old-street Road, and with Todd at his heels, who was very faint.
"Stop, step!" panted Todd, "stop!"
"What for?" said Lupin.
"I cannot run so fast. Are you hurt? Oh, that I had a knife at that girl's throat!"
Lupin paused, and held by a post at the corner of a street, and swore dreadfully, as he too panted a little for breath, although he was by no means so much used-up as Todd was. But then Lupin was, a younger man, and much lighter on his feet, than our old friend of murdering notoriety.
"Oh, dear," said Todd. "What's to be done now?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing, did you say? But, my dear friend, something must be done. We have positively wasted half the night, and we are without money, and half dead. I am covered with bruises from head to foot by the fall down the staircase, and it will be daylight in another half hour or so at the utmost."
"Ah," said Lupin, "we must breakfast somewhere, I'm thinking, my friend."
"And so am I."
"Well, well, we have made certainly a mess of our adventure at the alderman's; but it can't be helped now. The idea, only to think of it now, Todd, of you and I, two such men as we are, and as the world refutes us to be, being beaten back, and, you may say, thrown down two pair of stairs, by a girl of sixteen or thereabouts."
Todd growled out some malediction.
"It was the will of Providence," said Lupin. "But who is this? Stand aside, Todd, and let this old gentleman pass on. We may as well not be seen and described by any one."
"Do you think he may likely have enough about him, whispered Todd, to pay our expenses for the day?"
"A lucky thought. It is more than likely that he has. Knock him down