Fig. 5.
One success Von Smudge did have, that in the case of Ellis Ferris, whom he managed to hit off to a nicety—in a caricature, of course. We give the portrait of Ellis in [Fig. 5]. He is not pleased with it himself, but his friends and enemies assure him it is ‘very like.’ Ellis signed his name with a skewer dipped half an inch in the inkpot, and so gave himself a chance.
Von Smudge has not patented his invention, so that all can try it who care to do so. And it is not a bad amusement for a stray half-hour. The important point is not to be too scratchy in the writing or too careful of the ink.
It is also capable of development. If the paper, instead of being folded in the middle of the signature, be folded above or below it, a duplicate will be produced; if a portrait be drawn and folded down on to the paper while the ink is wet, a reverse copy will be printed off; and if an ornamental design be drawn on paper, it can also be reproduced in reverse by smudgeography, and, owing to the copy taking off the surplus ink and the original being thus reduced to about the same intensity, the pattern will be much more equal in tone than would be thought without trial. All sorts of outline decorative work can be done in this way, and with careful management of the ink the labour of drawing duplicates can be saved.
However, we began this chapter merely with a view of popularising Von Smudge’s new method of character-reading, which does not prosper in his hand quite so much as he expected. In fact, he has taken to saying, ‘There is the idea, let others try if they can make anything out of it.’ And others may as well. They will be just as near the ‘character’ by this means as by any other. It will take them some time to beat the sketch of Ferris the Fierce.
CHAPTER LXII.—THE LUDION.
By the late Dr. Scoffern.
There is a toy more patronised by French boys than by English ones, though I have seen it here. The English name for this toy I do not know, but in France it is called the ‘Ludion.’ Being easily made, and instructive when made, you shall have a picture of the ludion and instructions for making.