"But good gracious what am I to hush about? What is it all—what does it mean—tell us, for goodness gracious sake? I don't know anything; I'm an ass—an idiot. What am I to hush about—I shall sit upon no end of thorns and nettles, till I know.—What is it?"
"Hush! hush! hush!" said every one as he passed the now nearly distracted beadle, and finally there he was left in the church porch with nothing in the shape of information, but hush! The man who had been left by the magistrate as a sentinel at the church door, was the last to leave, and he took his cue from all the others; and when the beadle laid hold of him crying—"I'll take you up. I won't let you go," he gently sat him on the floor; and then saying "Hush!" away he went likewise.
The large slab in the church, that usually covered up the passage leading to the vaults, was left uncovered; but then the beadle perfectly understood that that was for the sole purpose of relieving the vaults, during the week, of the accumulation of mephitic vapours supposed to be in them; and at all events no impulse of curiosity could be sufficiently strong in him to induce so desperate a step as a descent alone into those dreary abodes of the departed; so that he was, in a manner of speaking, compelled to put up entirely with "Hush!" for his portion of the mystery.
Sir Richard bade good-day to every one but the fruiterer at the door of the church; and then with him he walked to his shop opposite to Todd's. Crotchet was close at hand, and he came into the shop, at a signal from the magistrate to do so.
"Is all right, Crotchet?"
"Right as a trivet, sir. Lord bless you about so much as a sneeze, but I'll find it out; and as for little Miss Thingamybob, he shan't hurt a hair of her pretty little bit of a head."
"That's right, Crotchet. Remember that the bringing to justice, with ample evidence of all his crimes, of Sweeney Todd, is a great object; but it is an infinitely greater one to preserve the life of Johanna Oakley."
"I knows it," said Crotchet.
"Resume your charge, then, Crotchet. All will be well, and this will be Todd's last day out of Newgate."
Crotchet nodded, and made his exit.