The String of Pearls (1850), p. 376

She hastily left the room. Todd had heard what had passed, and had turned to hide himself again. The young girl knew that she passed the murderer within a hair's breadth. She knew that he had but to stretch out his right hand and say—"Minna Gray, you are my victim!" and his victim she would have become. Was not that dreadful? And she so young and so fair—so upon the threshold, as it were, of the garden of her existence—so loving, and so well-beloved. She felt for a moment, as she crossed the landing—just for a moment as though she were going mad. But the eye of the Omnipotent was upon that house. She staggered on. She made her way into a bed-room. It was the colonel's. Above the mantel-shelf, supported on a small bracket, was a pair of pistols. They were of a large size, and she had heard from the current gossip of the house, how they were always loaded, and how the servants feared to touch them, and how even they shrank from making the bed, lest the pistol from some malice aforethought, or from something incidental to such watching, should go off at once of their own accord, and inevitibly shoot whoever chanced to be in the room, Minna Gray laid her hand upon the dreaded weapons.
"For Tobias! for Tobias!" she gasped.
Then she paused to listen. All was still as the grave. Todd was not yet ready for the murder, or he wished to take their lives both together, and in the one room. That was more probable. Then she began to think that he must have some suspicion, and that it was necessary upon her part to do something more than merely make no alarm. The idea of singing occurred to her. It was a childish song that she had been taught, when a pretty child, that she now warbled forth a few lines of—

"If I were a forest bird,
I'd shun the noisy town;
I'd seek the verdure of the spring
The dear autumnal brown.
And even when the winter came,
By sunny skies bereft,
I'll sleep in some deep distant cave,
Which wanton winds had left."

She crossed the landing.
"Minna," said Tobias. "My Minna!"
"I come."
She passed into the room, and the moment she crossed the threshold—she turned her face to it and presented both the pistols before her. Then as she wound, inch by inch, into the centre of the room, all her power of further concealment of her feelings deserted her, and she could only say, in a strange choking tone—
"Todd!—Todd!—Todd!"
"No—no—no! Oh, God, no!" cried Tobias.
"Todd!—Todd!—Todd!"
"No no! Help! help!''
"D—n!" said Sweeney Todd, as he dashed open the door of the chamber, and stood upon the threshold with a glittering knife in his right hand.
"Hold!" shrieked Minna Gray. "Another step, murderer, and I send you to your God!"
Todd waited. He could almost see down the barrels of the large pistols, which a touch of the young girl's finger would explode in his face. With a sharp convulsive cry, Tobias fell to the floor. The blood gushed from his mouth, and he lay bereft of sensation.
"Away!" cried Minna. "Monster, away! Another moment, and as Heaven hears me, I will fire; once—twice—"
Todd darted to the stair head, but he darted away again quicker than he had gone there; for who, to his horror, should he meet, advancing with great speed up the steps, but Mrs. Ragg, who had managed to get out of the kitchen, and

THE STRING Qtf PEARLS.

She hastily left the room. Todd had heard what had passed, and had turned
to hide himself again. The young girl knew that she passed the murderer within
a hair's breadth. She knew that he had but to stretch out his right hand and
say—" Minna Gray, you are my victim !" and his victim she would have become.
Was not that dreadful ? And she so young and so fair— so upon the threshold,
as it were, of the garden of her existence— so loving, and so well-beloved. She
felt for a moment, as she crossed the landing — just for a moment as though she
were going mad. But the eye of the Omnipotent was upon that house. She
staggered on. She made her way into a bed-room. It was the colonel's. Above
the mantel-shelf, supported on a small bracket, was a pair ot pistols. They were
of a large size, and she had heard from the current gossip of the house, how
they were always loaded, and how the servants feared to touch them, and how
even they shrank from making the bed, lest the pistol from some malice afore-
thought, or from something incidental to such watching, should go off at once of
th eir own accord, and inevitibly shoot whoever chanced to be in the room,
Minna Gray laid her hand upon the dreaded weapons.

" For Tobias ! for Tobias V* she gasped.

Then she paused to listen. All was still as the grave. Todd was not yet
ready for the murder, or he wished to take their lives both together, and in the
one room. That was more probable. Then she began to think that he must
have some suspicion, and that it was necessary upon her part to do something
more than merely make no alarm. The idea of singing occurred to her. It was
a childish song that she had been taught, when a pretty child, that she now
warbled forth a few lines of —

" If I were a forest bird,

I'd shun the no : sy town ;
Td seek the verdure of the spring

The dear autumnal brown.
And even when the winter came,

By sunny skies bereft,
I'J sleep in sorr.e deep distant cave,

Which wanton winds had left."

She crossed the landing.

Minna/ 5 said Tobias. " Mv Minna !"
u I come."

She passed into the room, and the moment she crossed the threshold— she
turned her face to it and presented both the pistols before her. Then as she
wound, inch by inch, in'o the centre of the room, all her power of further con-
cealment of her feelings deserted her, and she could only say, in a strange
choking tone —

14 Todd !-Todd!— Todd!"

" JNo— no— no ! Oh, God, no !" cried Tobias.

-Todd !— Todd! -Todd! *

<• No-no! Help! help!''

"D n!" said Sweaney Todd, as he dashed open the door of the

chamber, and stood upon the threshold with a glittering knife in his right
hand.

| " Hold !" shrieked Minna Gray. " Another step, murderer, and I send you
t. <to your God!"

Todd waited. He could almost see down the barrels of the large pistols,
which a touch of the young girl's finger would explode in his face. With a
sharp convulsive cry, Tob as fell to the floor. The blood gushed from his
mouth, and he lay bereft of sensation.

"Away!" cried Minna. '* Monster, away! Another moment, and as
Heaven hears me, I will fire; once — twice "

Todd darted to the stair head, but he darted away again quicker than he had
gone there ; for who, to his horror, should he meet, advancing with great speed
xip the steps, but Mrs. Ragg, who had managed to get out of the kitchen, and