"Five and a half million," he confirms, his grimace turning wry. "Largest city in the world, at least during my lifetime. The jewel of the British Empire, a hub for culture and art for the entire world, and a filthy cesspool of poverty and misery, as any city might be."

And yet, there's some fondness in his voice. It's home, after all.

"Modern hygiene has done much to stop the spread of disease, but the plague would spread like a wildfire."