'That's all very well, but what a terrible stink there is here!'
The churchwardens gave a groan, for they had flattered themselves, that perhaps the bishop would not notice the dreadful smell, or that, if he did, he would think it was accidental and say nothing about it; but now, when he really did mention it, they found all their hopes scattered to the winds, and that it was necessary to say something.
'Is this horrid charnel-house sort of smell always here?'
'I am afraid it is,' said one of the churchwardens.
'Afraid!' said the bishop, 'surely you know; you seem to me to have a nose.
'Yes,' said the churchwarden, in great confusion, 'I have that honour, and I have the pleasure of informing you, my lord bishop - I mean I have the honour of informing you, that this smell is always here.'
The bishop sniffed several times, and then he said, 'It is very dreadful; and I hope that by the next time I come to St Dunstan' s you will have the pleasure and the honour, both, of informing me that it has gone away.'
The churchwarden bowed, and got into an extreme corner, saying to himself,-
'This is the bishop's last visit here, and I don't wonder at it, for as if out of pure spite, the smell is ten times worse than ever today.'
And so it was, for it seemed to come up through all the crevices of the flooring of the church with a power and perseverance that was positively dreadful.
'Isn't it dreadful? - did you ever before know the smell in St Dunstan's so bad before?' and everybody agreed that they had never known it anything like so bad, for that it was positively awful - and so indeed it was.
The anxiety of the bishop to get away was quite manifest, and if he could decently have taken his departure without confirming anybody at all, there is no doubt but that he would have willingly done so, and left all the congregation to die and be - something or another.
But this he could not do, but he could cut it short, and he did so. The people found themselves confirmed before they almost knew where they were, and the bishop would not go into the vestry again on any account, but hurried down the steps of the church and into his carriage, with the greatest precipitation in the world, thus proving that holiness is no proof against a most abominable stench.
As may be well supposed, after this, the subject assumed a much more serious aspect, and on the following day a solemn meeting was held of all the church authorities, at which it was determined that men should be employed to make a thorough and searching examination of all the vaults of St Dunstan's, with the view of discovering, if possible, from whence particularly the abominable stench emanated.
And then it was decided that the stench was to be put down, and that the bishop was to be apprised it was put down, and that he might visit the church in perfect safety.
XX. Sweeney Todd's Proceedings Consequent Upon the Departure of Tobias
We left the barber in his own shop, much wondering that Tobias had not responded to the call which he had made upon him, but yet scarcely believing it possible that he could have ventured upon the height of iniquity, which we know Tobias had really been guilty of.
He paused for a few moments, and held up the light which he had procured and gazed around him with enquiring eyes, for he could, indeed, scarcely believe it possible that Tobias had sufficiently cast off his dread of him, Sweeney Todd, to be enabled to achieve any act for his liberation. But when he saw that the lock of the parlour-door was open, positive rage obtained precedence over every other feeling.
'The villain!' he cried, 'has he dared really to consummate an act I thought he could not have dreamt of for a moment? Is it possible that he can have presumed so far as to have searched the house?'
That Tobias, however, had presumed so far, the barber soon discovered, and when he went into his parlour and saw what had actually occurred, and that likewise the door which led to the staircase and the upper part of the house had not escaped, he got perfectly furious, and it was some time before he could sufficiently calm himself to reflect upon the probable and possible amount of danger he might run in consequence of these proceedings.
When he did, his active mind at once told him that there was not much to be dreaded immediately, for that, most probably, Tobias, still having the fear before his eyes of what he might do as regarded his mother, had actually run away; and, 'In all likelihood,' muttered the barber, 'he has taken with him something which would allow me to fix upon him the stigma of robbery: but that I must see to.'
Having fastened the shop-door securely, he took the light in his hands, and ascended to the upper part of his house - that is to say, to the first floor, where alone anything was to be found.
He saw at once the open bureau with all its glittering display of jewels, and as he gazed upon the heap he muttered,-
'I have not so accurate a knowledge of what is here, as to be able to say if anything be extracted or not, but I know the amount of money, if I do not know the precise number of jewels which this bureau contains.'
He opened a small drawer which had entirely evaded the scrutiny of Tobias, and proceeded to count a large number of guineas which were there.
'These are correct,' he said, when he had finished his examination, 'these are correct, and he has touched none of them.'
He then opened another drawer, in which were a great many packets of silver done up in paper, and these likewise he carefully counted and was satisfied they were right.
'It is strange,' he said, 'that he has taken nothing, but yet perhaps it is better that it should be so, inasmuch as it shows a wholesome fear of me. The slightest examination would have shown him these hoards of money; and since he has not made that slight examination, nor discovered any of them, it seems to my mind decisive upon the subject, that he has taken nothing, and perchance I shall discover him easier than I imagine.'
He repaired to the parlour again and carefully divested himself of everything which had enabled him so successfully to impose upon John Mundel, and replaced them by his ordinary costume, after which he fastened up his house and sallied forth, taking his way direct to Mrs Ragg's humble home, in the expectation that there he would hear something of Tobias, which would give him a clue where to search for him, for to search for him he fully intended; but what were his precise intentions perhaps he could hardly have told himself, until he actually found him.
When he reached Mrs Ragg's house, and made his appearance abruptly before that lady, who seemed somehow or another always to be ironing and always to drop the iron when anyone came in very near their toes, he said,-
'Where did your son Tobias go after he left you tonight?'
'Lor! Mr Todd, is it you? you are as good as a conjurer, sir, for he was here; but bless you, sir, I know no more where he is gone to than the man in the moon. He said he was going to sea, but I am sure I should not have thought it, that I should not.'
'To sea! then the probability is that he would go down to the docks, but surely not tonight. Do you not expect him back here to sleep?'
'Well, sir, that's a very good thought of yours, and he may come back here to sleep, for all I know to the contrary.'
'But you do not know it for a fact.'
'He didn't say so; but he may come, you know, sir, for all that.'
'Did he tell you his reason for leaving me?'
'Indeed no, sir; he really did not, and he seemed to me to be a little bit out of his senses.'
'Ah! Mrs Ragg,' said Sweeney Todd, 'there you have it. From the first moment that he came into my service, I knew and felt confident