“Very dimly. There was only one incandescent bulb turned on, and that was in the adjoining room—not in that one.”
Nick turned to Danton.
“I believe you assured me that all the lights were turned on when you awoke. Are you certain about that?”
“Absolutely positive,” was the quick reply, for Danton was now leaning forward in intense excitement, since he had caught the drift of Nick Carter’s questions.
The detective turned again to Mercedes.
“The light was, then, very dim,” he said. “Now, if you could not see the man’s face clearly, can you give me any good reason for believing that it was your brother whom you saw with the bottle in his hand?”
“Only that I felt positive that it was my brother,” said Mercedes, now beginning to stare in amazement, for she also was beginning to understand.
“Did this man whom you saw wear a coat?” asked Nick.
“Yes. He was fully dressed.”
“Was it a dress coat?”