“Come here.”
“Oh, poor, poor Tom!” I sighed to myself, and I looked at him pityingly, while he glanced at me.
“Hah!” ejaculated the Doctor; “there seems to be some understanding between you. Now, sir, that bin has been used by you for some time, has it not, for your collection?”
“Yes, sir,” faltered Mercer.
“You and Burr junior have, I noticed, always been companions.”
“Yes, sir.”
“He joined you in collecting natural history objects?”
“Yes, sir; a little.”
“Could he obtain access to that bin when he wished? Had he a key?”
“He could always get the key, sir, when he liked.” The Doctor sighed, and there was silence once more, while I glanced at Mercer wildly, and if he could have read my eyes, he would have known that they said, “Speak out now. Confess, and ask the Doctor to forgive you for giving way to this terrible piece of covetousness.”