The Mysteries of London; or, Lights and Shadows of London Life — page 42: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

SL TT ee 34 The process was now commenced. Let us follow his mode of operation. Taking a hundred-pound Bank of England note from his pocket-book, he first moistened it with dis- tilled water, and allowed it to expand till it was thoroughly saturated. | As soon as the moisture had slightly evaporated, he then took a fine camel -hair pencil, dipped in the weak solation of riitrate of silver, and washed the note care- fully over. Next, placing it smoothly and evenly beneath the glass vapour-box, he poured a small quantity of his prepared phosphorus into a shallow cup, and, holding it over his spirit-lamp, caused it to evaporate by means of gentle heat. The note was then exposed to the action of the phosphoric vapour for a few minutes, and ‘on removal was found beauti- fully coated over with an infinitesimally thin film of metallic silver. It was now a metallic conductor, and ready to be applied to the battery. The apparatus he employed had no sooner been brought in contact with the paper thus silvered, than asurface of copper was deposited on both sides the note; a mould which received its exact fac-simile, As soon as a sufficient deposit of copper had been formed, the operator removed the plates, and gently filing round the edges, took out the note, which had left behind a complete model of itself. He next took down the daguerrotype vapour-box, in which some iodine had been placed, and exposed the note to the action of the vapour, which imme- diately attacked the black lines. With a small sheet of copper, silvered in the same manner as those used for taking daguerrotype portraits, he pressed the iodised note smoothly and lightly on its surface, when the black printed lines of the note yielded the ioding to the sensitive plate, and were transferred to it as an iodide, thus presenting a correct transfer of the print- ing on the bank-note. With the plate thus iodised and subjected to the action of the battery, there was now in a single instant of time a perfect fac-simile of the note, and with the forged blank paper previously prepared, he had consequently in his power the means of producing by an easy and rapid process an unre- stricted amount of spurious paper currency that re- quired the most microscopic investigation to distin- guish from the real. So carefully, indeed, had he arranged his deceptive plans, that not even the most minute points escaped him. Knowing if the water-marks are copied from a Bank of England note whilst dry, detection was rendered more likely—as the lines so sensibly con- tract in drying, that those in the forged become less than in the genuine document—he had adroitly en- larged the lines, so that when the note dried, the forged water-marks shrunk to an equal density with the original. With this precaution the resemblance was faultless. And there, in that subterranean chamber, amid those modern marvels of the age, the potent talismans which the magic of science had conjured forth, the figure of the Phantom was seen gliding stealthily to and fro, the sole traverser of those gloomy vaults that bg made, by his nefarious craft, the temple of _~ Three hours had passed away in the prosecution of his illicit task. With a keen and critical glance he had scrutinised each note as it came into his hands 4 faithful reflex of the genuine, and he had not paused from his toil until he had accumulated sufficient to —_——— THE MYSTERIES OF LONDON, produce, when exchanged for real currency, a sum of considerable magnitude, So certain was the process, so completely concealed from observation the place where it was carried on, so exact the imitation, that if the means existed of con- verting the false paper into genuine gold, the note- forger could have possessed himself at will of palaces, and realised an amount of wealth that would seem fabulous from its very immensity. The Phantom had worked the last plate, and was now on the point of re his steps to the house above, when, as the light of the lamp fell upon the wooden barrier that had been raised against the arch, he saw an object that transfixed him with fear and superstitious horror, For glaring through a small in one of the planks, at the distance of a few feet from the ground, and exactly fitting tLe opening in the wood-work, was the eye of a human being, fixing itself intently upon him, and following every action with a pene- trating glance. For an instant he stood rooted to the spot, unable to withdraw from the basilisk gaze he enco and his frame becoming tremulous with excitement as he remembered that to all he had done there had been an unseen witness, But this effect was but mom t Satisfied that his vision had not deceived him, his next impulse was to dash forward and tear away the bar- ricade that concealed the man who had been a spy upon his actions, Simultaneously with the thougLt he sprang towards the arch, and with a sudden jerk hurled away the intercepting planks, that, rotten with the dank atmosphere of the vaults, offered but resistance to his great muscular strength, A cold current of air that immediately put out the lamp streamed upon him as he rushed into beyond, but not before its rays had enabled him to obtain a glimpse of a . ceded, as he advanced, behind one To follow in the same direction and grapple with the fugitive was the work of an instant, for he was too certain of his adversary’s movements to prevent an escape; but, contrary to his anticipations, there was scarcely any resistance to his attack, and the intruder suffered hin.self to be brought, almost without a struggle, into the note-forger’s chamber, where the light of the spirit-lamp, still remaining unextin- guished upon the table, cast a feeble illumination around, “So you have dared to become a spy upon me!” exclaimed the Phantom, speaking with savage fury. as he recognised, to his amazement, the person of Slogger, the coiner’s assistant. “How came you here? Tell me without a syllable of equivocation, or, now we are alone, I will repay your dastardly attack upon me with an interest that you shall feel in every bone of vont “eae 5’ and he grasped him violently by the oat, “Let go your hold,” said Slo r, dogged] > ing before the fierce eye of his secailant for, ee great hulking fellow to look at, he was but a coward at heart; “let go, and I'll tell yer every thing.” relaxed his grasp, but still stood on the The other defensive, “ Yer needn’t have been so hasty about the mat- ter,”’ said the smasher, gradually recovering himself; “I could have given yer the slip just now, had I liked, for I knows my way through all these here arches blindfold; but I hadn’t clapped my eye to the hole and seen who it was—meaning, in course, to call out and have a chat with you—afore you thundered down ee i — AMCeloKeye)