Copper box

“ I retorted. “It’s too deep for theories, Mr. Parslewe. Too deep for me to theorise about, I mean.”
“Aye—well, we’ll say speculate, then, instead of theorise,” he remarked, drily. “You’ve indulged in speculations?”
I pointed towards the sideboard behind him.
“I’ve certainly been wondering what on earth that copper box has to do with it!” said I. “Here’s a fat, solemn, self-important old buffer travels—possibly all the way from London—to talk about a copper box in a Newcastle hotel! A Newcastle shopkeeper starts with surprise when I mention a copper box to him! ”

“ A first-class mystery, this, anyway! Pawley comes, and is seen examining the copper box. I go to Newcastle, and see Pawley meet a fat-faced, white-whiskered old party. I hear this person talk of the copper [84] box to another man, who turns out to be a solicitor. I have a passage-at-arms with a coppersmith, who, I feel sure, has seen and known the copper box—I have other passages. I come home and tell Parslewe—and Parslewe flees in the night, leaving me in charge of——”
“Thank you, but he’d far better have left you in charge of me!” ”

“ Copper again! copper box, coppersmith—the whole thing was becoming more mysterious than ever! Here were these men, who had been talking about a copper box the night before, now entering the shop of a man who worked in copper. Why? I wanted to know. And instead of going off on my own proper business to the artist’s colourman’s shop, I crossed the street, walked on a little, turned, and kept an eye on the door into which White Whiskers and his companion had vanished. ”

“ It contained this copper box, which has been in the family for I don’t know how long, and some six or seven old books which I had admired—a nice present. I wrote him a nice letter in return, and carried my present home. Not knowing, mind you,” added Parslewe, with a sudden keen look, “what this box contained.”
Sir Charles was getting keenly attentive. He looked like a man who has become sure that something is going to be sprung on him.
“My dear sir!” he said. “What did it contain?”
Parslewe picked up the copper box and tapped it significantly. ”

“ This was a small copper box, a thing some six or seven inches square, which stood in the middle of the ancient sideboard, one out of many curious articles placed there. I could see, from where I stood, that it was a bit of unusually good work, and I presently went closer and took it into my hands. Anything worked in old brass or copper had always appealed to me ”

“ Then he found that several rare and valuable old books had disappeared with the copper box. Then he advertised. You know the rest. Parslewe had taken the copper box to Bickerdale; Bickerdale saw Sperrigoe’s advertisement—and so on. And now, when Pawley, as Sperrigoe’s advance agent, and then Sperrigoe himself, turn up to ask a direct question as to how he became possessed of the copper box, why does he run off?”
“Happening to know him,” said Madrasia [127] quickly, “I can answer that. For good and honest reasons of his own!” ”

“ And he didn’t tell you anything as to where he got these things?”
“He never tells anybody anything as to where he gets things—never! He just brings them in and puts them down, somewhere—and that’s all. However, the copper box disappeared for a while—not so very long ago. I noticed that, and he vouchsafed to tell me that he’d taken it to be repaired by a man in Newcastle.” ”

“ He waited during a moment’s silent reflection, then, leaning back in his chair, and using his cigarette occasionally to point his remarks, he began to address us pretty much as if we constituted a jury.
“The firm of which Sir Charles Sperrigoe is senior partner,” he said, “has for many years acted as legal advisers to a very ancient family [124] in the Midlands, the Palkeneys of Palkeney Manor, whose coat-of-arms you see on the now famous copper box on that sideboard, complete with its curious legend, or motto. ”

“ Parslewe—Pawley—White Whiskers—the coppersmith—and that infernal copper box in the middle of them! What was the mystery attached to them and it? Was it fraud?—was it some matter of felony?—was it murder? I was going to tell Parslewe what I had discovered, anyway, and as quickly as possible. But I had to cool my heels until between five and six o’clock, and when at last I walked out on the platform to my train I saw White Whiskers standing at the door of a first-class carriage talking to the man who had gone with him to the coppersmith’s shop. ”

“ Precious! Old pots—worth sixpence to some people—worth their weight in gold, to them. Just so!”
Parslewe came into the room with a sheet of notepaper in his hand; Mr. Pawley received it with gratitude as exaggerated as his admiration of the copper box. And presently he said that he must now be moving; I am sure it was with a desire to speed his departure that Parslewe offered to show him down the stair and to point out a short cut across the moor. So they vanished, and when Parslewe came back the tea-tray had just been brought in and Madrasia was busy at it. ”

“ Matthew Palkeney, of Palkeney Manor, away there in the Midlands, who died some little time ago, leaving money and a fine place and no relatives, and from whose library that copper box and those books were undoubtedly stolen?”
“I’ve heard of him—and of the rest,” I replied.
“Just so,” he said. “Well, Mr. Craye, between you and me, it’s my belief that the document Mr. Parslewe got from Bickerdale last night—or, rather, early this morning—was neither more nor less than Mr. Matthew Palkeney’s will, which the old fellow—a queer old stick!—had hidden in that copper box! That’s what I think!” ”

“ Then, as we settled round the table, Madrasia and I on his right and left hand, and Sir Charles opposite to him, he put a hand in his coat pocket, drew out the copper box, and with one of his queer smiles, set it before him. “Do you know what that is, Sperrigoe?” he asked.
Sir Charles made a wry face.
“The cause of much worry and anxiety to me, my dear sir!” he answered. “I can see what it is well enough!”
“Aye, and you want to know how I got [211] it, don’t you?” suggested Parslewe. “So do these young people. I’ll tell you. Old Matthew Palkeney made me a present of it.” ”

“ All that Sperrigoe did in that quarter was to make [130] certain guarded inquiries as to Parslewe’s status in the neighbourhood. The police know nothing, of course.”
There was a brief silence, broken at last by Madrasia.
“Of course, we will give my guardian your message,” she said. “Every word! But, Mr. Murthwaite, haven’t you any idea of what all this is about? All this fuss, mystery, running up and down country about a copper box—that box?” ”

“ And as you can’t both speak at once, settle between yourselves which is going to be spokesman. But first—where is that box?”
Madrasia, the morning being cold, had come in furs; amongst them a big muff, in the pocket of which she had carried the copper box. She rose, extracted it from its hiding-place, and laid it on the table at Parslewe’s side; then she pointed a finger at me.
“Let him tell,” she said. “I’ll correct him where he’s wrong.”
“Go ahead, Craye,” commanded Parslewe. “Detail!” ”

“ The more secrecy, the more pleasure. Human nature—antiquarian human nature.”
“Well, about twelve or fifteen months ago he was away like that,” she said. “I don’t know where he’d been, he never tells. But when he returned the copper box was with him. He polished it up the night he came [87] home. Of course, I admired it, equally, of course, I asked him where he’d got it. All he said was what he always does say, he’d just picked it up. Off the street, no doubt, or on the moor, or in an omnibus, or on a train! But that’s Jimmie. ”

“ If the old chap comes—and come he will—let Tibbie bring him up here. We’ll receive him in state; you’ll, of course, play the part, your proper part, of chatelaine; I, of guest. You’ll regret that Mr. Parslewe is away from home—indefinitely—and we’ll both be warily careful to tell the old man nothing. But we’ll watch him. I particularly want to see if he looks for, sees, and seems to recognise the copper box. Pawley will have told him where it’s kept—on that sideboard ”

“ CHAPTER V. Development of Negative Resist on the Copper Plate, and Preparation for Biting with Acid through the Gelatine.
Have a wooden box made 24 inches long, by 12 inches high, 12 inches wide, with door 6 inches high on side, fastened with hinges, top and bottom of box open; cover top with sheet zinc. Place inside Florence oil lamp; the door is valuable to regulate the heat. On top of box place deep porcelain tray, 11 × 14, fill with water half full; in the water place two pieces of plate glass 1⁄2 inch high and 4 inches long, on which to place copper to keep it from the bottom of the tray. ”

“ Madrasia picked up the card.
“And you are staying, Sir Charles?” she asked.
“For a day or two at the hotel at Wooler,” he replied. “After that, perhaps, for a few days in Berwick. The address at Wooler will find me, at any rate, during my stay in these parts; letters would be forwarded.”
He was still looking at the copper box, and presently he became mendacious.
“What a truly beautiful old sideboard!” he [95] remarked, going nearer to that article of furniture. “Mr. ”

“ Because it can be worked so easily. You see a small box of that stuff can be packed on a mule any distance and then shipped, and if a different [Pg 162] point is used each time no one knows where it comes from and there is no competition. Now copper, you see, is only valuable in large quantities, and it needs a big industry to run it. And of this rarer sort of stuff, there's lots of it around for any one that wants to look for it. ”

“ Also Missing, and probably stolen at the same time, an Antique Box, of Beaten Copper, on the front of which is engraved the coat-of-arms and legend particularised in the foregoing description. It is probable that these properties will be offered to well-known collectors, here or abroad. The book-plates may have been removed. The above mentioned reward of £250 will be paid to any person giving information which will lead to their recovery. Such information should be given to the undersigned.
“Sperrigoe, Chillingley, and Watson, ⁠
“Solicitors. ”

“ But recently—quite recently—they’ve come across this—a couple of men on the estate, one a woodman, the other a gamekeeper, have come forward to say that some time ago they set their names to a paper which they saw their old master sign his name to. What’s that but a will, Mr. Craye? Come!”
“It sounds like it,” I agreed. “And you think that it was that that Mr. Parslewe recovered last night?”
“I do,” he answered. “For I’ve heard—Sir Charles told me himself—that when the old man was struck he spoke of—as far as they could make out—was the copper box, coupled with the family name. Mr. ”

“ The demand for particularly pure metal in electrical and conductivity work therefore usually necessitates a further purification of the converter-copper (unless it be an exceptionally pure brand) and the production of metal specially free from the injurious constituents which persist to a small but sometimes very appreciable extent in the metal under the ordinary oxidising conditions. The presence of silver and gold in the copper may afford in many instances sufficiently good reason for a separating process independently of the market for the pure copper itself. ”

“ When they are partly cooled, another workman, at the farther side of the wheel, pries them out of the mould and drops them into water. Then by the aid of the fingers of a machine and those of men, they are loaded upon cars.
In copper there is often some gold and silver. The precious metals do not make the copper any better, and if they can be separated from it, they are well worth the trouble. This is done by electricity. It is so successful that the metallurgists are hoping soon [Pg 71] to take a long step ahead and by means of electricity to produce refined copper directly from the ore. ”

“ To apply it on new plates use somewhat dilute nitric acid applied with a swab to free the surface of the copper from oxides or impurities, then rub the ball of amalgam over the surface, using some little force. It is always well when copper-plates are coated with silver or zinc by means of mercury to let them stand dry for a day or two before using, as the mercury oxidises and the coating metal more closely adheres.
Only the very best copper-plate procurable should be used for battery tables; bad copper will always give trouble, both in the first “curing,” and after treatment. ”

“ It is then, in his opinion, the solution of the metal—the wear of its surface, by keeping it smooth, which prevents the adhesion of foreign matter. Whenever the copper is unequally worn, deposits will, without doubt, rest in the rough parts, or depressions in the metal, and afford a soil or bed in which sea-weeds can fix their roots, and to which zoophytes and shell-fish can adhere; but there is another cause of foulness on the protected sheathing, arising from the deposit of earthy matter upon the copper, in consequence of its electro-negative condition. ”

“ Copper may be separated, in a state of great purity, from ANTIMONY, ARSENIC, BISMUTH, LEAD, IRON, TIN, ZINC, &c., as it exists in bell-metal, brass, bronze, gun-metal, mosaic gold, and other commercial alloys, by fusing it in a crucible for about half an hour, along with copper scales (black oxide) and ground bottle-glass, or other like flux. The pure metal is found at the bottom of the crucible, whilst the impurities are either volatilised or dissolved in the flux. The proportions for refining commercial copper are, metal, 10 parts ”