Allan watched the progress of the printing with excited interest, opening the back of the frame at frequent intervals for a glimpse of the slowly deepening image on the paper.
“That negative wouldn’t take long to print,” Owen said, “if I hadn’t developed it so long trying to bring out everything.”
The negative had not looked much like a picture to Allan, and, indeed, the first plate, made as a “snap-shot,” showed the strongest lights of the fire scene and very little else. Yet the print gave a meaning to the dark parts of the picture which were blank in the plate.
“It does show the fire; doesn’t it?” exclaimed Allan.
“Yes,” said Owen, “and it shows that it began on the east side of the wing.”
The second plate was much clearer.
“The fire’s halfway across in that,” remarked McConnell.
The third plate, showing the fire at its worst, revealed even the outlines of the factory. The flames were not so sharply defined as in the quick exposure of the first plate, but the blur made by the yellow tongues of fire was, perhaps, one advantage, and in every other respect the “time” pictures, as Owen called them, were much the better.
Allan unpacked the “toning solution,” and with Owen’s help toned and fixed the three prints. Owen waited until the prints were getting their last rinsing. “Now,” he said, “I guess you are pretty well started, Allan.”
“Yes,” replied Allan; “and I don’t know how I ever should have got along without you, Owen.”