Here, in fact, we had five patchy portraits of the redoubtable
Colonel, taken at various angles, and in characteristic unstudied
attitudes. A child had outwitted the cleverest sharper in Europe!
The moment Beddersley's eye fell upon them, a curious look came over
his face. "Why, these," he said, "are taken on Herbert Winslow's
method, Miss Lingfield."
"Yes," Dolly admitted timidly. "They are. He's--a friend of mine,
don't you know; and--he gave me some plates that just fitted my
camera."
Beddersley gazed at them steadily. Then he turned to Charles.
"And this young lady," he said, "has quite unintentionally and
unconsciously succeeded in tracking Colonel Clay to earth at last.
They are genuine photographs of the man--as he is--_without_ the
disguises!"
"They look to me most blotchy," Charles murmured. "Great black lines
down the nose, and such spots on the cheek, too!"
"Exactly," Beddersley put in. "Those are _differences in texture_.
They show just how much of the man's face is human flesh--"
"And how much wax," I ventured.
"Not wax," the expert answered, gazing close. "This is some harder
mixture. I should guess, a composition of gutta-percha and
india-rubber, which takes colour well, and hardens when applied,
so as to lie quite evenly, and resist heat or melting.
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