The String of Pearls (1850), p. 651

Todd's heart sunk within him at these words. Had they come from any one else, he would not have heeded them much, but from him they were of fearful import.
"Oh, that I could kill that man," he muttered, "then I should know some peace; but while he lives and while I live, we are like two planets in one orbit, and cannot long exist together."
"I wish you every success," said Sir Christopher Wren.
"I am obliged to you, Sir Christopher. The fact is, that Todd left his house pretty full of combustibles, and my men were unwise enough, contrary to my positive orders, to let them be there; and I am afraid that he may have contrived some mode of blowing up the church by a train or some other equally diabolical means, as he had such free and unrestrained access to it for so long."
"What!" cried the beadle. "What did you say, Sir Richard?"
"I merely said that I was apprehensive Todd might have concocted some means of blowing up the church, that is all."
"And me in it! And me in it! Conwulsions!"
The beadle did not pause for another moment, but rushing to the door, he flew out of the church as if a barrel of gunpowder had been rolling after him, nor did he stop until he got right through Temple-bar and some distance down the Strand.
"I am afraid I have frightened away our friend, the beadle," said Sir Richard Blunt.
"And I don't wonder at it," replied Sir Christopher Wren. "I should not like exactly to be blown up along with the fragments of old St. Dunstan's Church myself, so I will go."
"Ah, 1 am sorry I mentioned it."
"Are you though? I am very much obliged to you for so doing. Excuse me, Sir Richard, for bidding you good-morning rather abruptly, if you please."
Sir Richard Blunt laughed as he bade Sir Christopher and his friend good-morning by-the-by, the friend had already made his way outside the church-
door, and was waiting for Sir Christopher in no small degree of trepidation.
"For God's sake," he said, "come along at once, or we may all be blown up together."
"Well," said Sir Richard Blunt, as he paced up the aisle of the old church, "I would risk a little scorching, if at the end of it I could only lay my hand upon the shoulder of Sweeny Todd. What on earth can have become of the rascal? But I must be patient—yes, patience will do it, for that we shall come face to face again, I feel to be as established a fact for the future, as that of my own existence now."
"Oh," thought Todd, "if if I now only dared to shoot him! If I only dared do it! And I would if it were not for the other one in the vaults—that wretch they call Crotchet. And yet I have a pistol here If I thought that after shooting him through the head or through the heart, I could by one bold rush get out of this church, what a glorious piece of work it would be! This Sir Richard Blunt is the only man that I dread. Were he no more, I should feel completely at peace. I could shoot him now."
Todd took a pistol from his pocket and presented it through the little crevice of the very slightly open door of the pulpit. The door would open a little in spite of him.
"Yes, oh, yes, I could shoot him now; but the report of the pistol would perhaps bring that other villain they call Crotchet from the vaults and who shall say what would happen? And yet I have another pistol and could shoot him too. Oh, how glorious, if I could take the lives of both these men . It would indeed be a good work."
The magistrate paced too and fro waiting for Crotchet, and little that Todd was so near to him, and with a pistol aimed at him! If he had only guessed as much, he would have freely risked the shot, and would soon have been in the pulpit along with Todd. But it was not to be. Sir Richard Blunt