Nick turned and regarded him more sharply.
“Would you be surprised, Doctor Dabney, if I were to tell you that the box now contains a corpse?” he inquired.
“Surprised would hardly express it,” Doctor Dabney replied, with a shrug. “I would not call you a liar, of course, but I would say that you never were more mistaken in your life.”
“Nevertheless, doctor, you’re the one who would be mistaken,” said Nick pointedly.
“Nonsense! You don’t mean——”
“I mean just what I say, Doctor Dabney. This box now contains a corpse.”
“Absurd! How could——”
“Wait a moment,” Nick again interrupted. “Let’s see whether I am right. It is a matter that can be easily and quickly settled. See for yourself, Doctor Dabney.”
Nick had previously noticed that the screws had been removed from the cover of the box, though it still remained in position. He bent over while speaking and seized one side of it, then tipped it over on the floor.
No cry of amazement came from the physician.