"I do not understand."
"Come, sir, are you not afraid that the price of her secrecy about your marriage will be a perpetual blackmail?"
The young man became very nervous; but he answered:
"Yes; I do fear that she will continue to blackmail me."
"For that reason," said Nick, "would you not like to have the one hundred and thirty thousand dollars which your sister would lose if she did not marry Dr. Lord?"
"I assure you, Mr. Carter, that, no mat[Pg 30]ter what that woman—my wife—wishes, I sincerely hope to see my sister married to the doctor."
Nick noticed that he put particular emphasis upon the words, "no matter what that woman wishes," and he did not ask the young man another question.
Ten minutes later he rang the bell at Dr. Lord’s door and was admitted.
"Well, sir," said the doctor, who was visibly displeased when he saw Nick, "I thought I told you yesterday that I had no surgical instruments that wanted repairing."
"So you did, doctor; but I have made a discovery that may interest you."