“Oh, yes. It depends on the sort of care the film has had, the place where it’s been stored. You can use it very nicely for as much as six months after the expiration date, and if it’s been in a cool, dry place, you can use it for years afterwards.”
“And you buy this film and paper which has expired?” Tragg asked.
“That’s right. You can get it at certain places at a very great discount.”
Tragg thought that over for several moments, then said, “What happens, however, when it finally gets too old?”
“Well, then, of course, it does different things. Usually it fogs.”
Tragg said, “Then these films which were in the box were old films — that is, the expiration date had passed?”
“Yes.”
“And couldn’t the fact that the films had fogged been due to the age of the emulsion?”
“Well, I guess it could,” Rebecca said hesitatingly, “but I’ve never had any trouble before with films I’ve got from this particular source. This person handles only the best.”
“But they were fogged?”