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442 METALS—THE NOBLER.
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or
severe in the whole scene. It seemed impossible that any one of the
innumerable keys could fit a churlish strong-box, or a prison door.
Cellars of beer, and wine ; rooms where there were fires, books,
gossip, and cheering laughter, these were their sphere of action!
Places of distrust, and cruelty, and restraint, they would have left
quadruple-locked for ever. ' Tink, tink, tink;' The locksmith paused at
last, and wiped his brow. The silence roused the cat; who, jumping
softly down, crept to the door, and watched with tiger eyes a birdcage
in an opposite window. Gabriel lifted Toby to his mouth, and took a
hearty draught."
By
an odd coincidence the policeman of to-day is popularly designated by
the slang term of a " Copper," which epithet has nevertheless no
connection whatever with the metal of this name. It owns a Latin
derivation, from the verb " capio "—I seize ; and it thus actually
signifies to " cop," or " grasp," anything unpleasant; as to catch a
beating, or get hold of a rogue.
LEAD.
The metal
Lead, noticeable here, not as among the " Nobles," but because of
certain curative virtues which it can undoubtedly exercise, was named
Saturn by the Alchemists of old. Its symbol, or representative sign,
resembles the scythe of Saturn, " Old Father Time." Metallic Lead has
been known from days almost immemorial. The Romans sheathed the bottom
of their ships with Lead ; whilst the Romish ladies (unwisely) used
White Lead—the Carbonate of Lead—as a cosmetic. Lead has not only a bad
reputation for producing " painter's colic " in workmen who frequently
handle
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