SWEENEY TODD : THE STRING OF PEARLS.THE SPECTACLE MAKER'S SHOP.

THE SPECTACLE MAKER'S DAUGHTER DREAMS HER LOVER HAS DROWNED

At eighteen years of age, Johanna Oakley was very beautiful, her eyes were described as the most heavenly blue, with that extremely rare combination of black hair. She was the spectacle makers only child and an immense source of pride and joy to him.

It was the morning after the strange disappearance of the seafaring gentleman from the barber shop of Sweeney Todd on Fleet Street, and the behaviour of the missing man's dog, in its desperation to retrieve his master's hat.

The day was of special importance to Johanna, for it was on this day two years previously she had last met her lover, Mark Ingestrie. On bidding her father Good Morning, she could not contain herself any longer, as she related to him her dream of the previous night.

When they had met on that day, two years previous, it was in the Temple Gardens and Mark had just had that stormy session with his uncle, Mr. Grant, who had been in Sweeney Todd's barber shop the previous day. He told her how they had quarrelled and were now irreconcilable, nothing at all could possibly happen to bring them together again.

He had now decided that he must go and seek his fortune, saying there was an opportunity, which had opened up for him, to undertake a trip to India.

If this undertaking were successful, he would have enough wealth on his return, to set himself up in an occupation, more suited to his own thoughts and aspirations, other than the law.

The two young lovers had made an agreement, that on that same day, two years hence he would return to her or send her some news of his whereabouts. If by that day she had heard nothing from him then she was to conclude that he would not be coming back. He would be dead.

In her previous night's dream she had been sitting on the sea shore, where she witnessed a tremendous storm, in which a ship was being tossed about unmercifully. She knew in her dream that her lover, Mark was on that doomed ship.

She was there, knowing all this was happening and helpless to lend a hand, hearing the shrieks of the drowning men and only able to watch in utter despair, as the terrible scene unfolded before her eyes.

With one unearthly scream of despair, which she knew to be the last cry of those dying men, the ship went down, leaving a tiny speck in the sea.

She was just able to make out the figure of a man clinging to a piece of wreckage, knowing in her dream that it was Mark Ingestrie.

She heard him cry her name, calling to her for help. As she stretched out her arms to help him, she knew it was in vain and then before her eyes he disappeared, beneath the waves.

Her father consoled the girl. He told her, it was only a dream and asked her, if she imagined that it would be easy for a young man, who had not got the patience to be respectable at home, would be able to go abroad and make his fortune. Or was being idle, needed so much more in other countries, that it would bring so much more reward.

As Johanna sat there in the parlour, after her father had taken his leave, and feeling so much better, having brought her frightful dream out into the open, in walked Sam the shop boy.

Earlier that morning her father had complained to Johanna about having to take down the shutters himself and threatened to fire Sam. It appears that the shop boy had informed Mr. Oakley, that he was not able to perform that duty or sweep out the shop, being as how his Aunt had a toothache.

Sam had harboured some affections for Miss Johanna for several weeks and having been eavesdropping on her conversation with her father, had now come to offer to go down to the docks to find this Mark Ingestrie and once found, he would settle for him good and proper.

Johanna replied, by leaving the room without saying a word, but Sam vowed revenge on Mark Ingestrie, promising he would not live long enough to be in need of a pair of spectacles.

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