“Shall I unlock the box?” he asked; and both nodded.
But the key would enter only a little way; and while the Count worked with it, Armand remembered suddenly the unusual motion Frederick had used the day he showed him the Laws.
“Turn the bit sidewise and push down and in,” he said. And at once the key slipped into place and the lock snapped open.
At the sound, the Ministers eagerly craned forward; but the Count did not offer to lift the lid until he received the Archduke’s nod; then he slowly laid it back, and leaning over peered inside. And he peered so long, that Lotzen grew impatient.
“The Laws, Epping, the Laws,” he said sharply; “let us have them, man.”
The Count looked at him and then at Armand.
“The box is empty,” he said.
IV
THE PRESUMPTION SHIFTS
Into the silence of amazement that ensued, came the Duke’s sneering laugh.
“Surely, surely, you didn’t think to find it otherwise!” he said.