The Oblong Box

The narrative begins with the unidentified narrator recalling a summertime sail on the ship Independence from Charleston, South Carolina, to New York City. Even though he had secured three staterooms, the narrator finds out that his old college friend Cornelius Wyatt is on board with his wife and two sisters. He finds that his pal has taken on board an oblong pine box that was "approximately six feet in length by two and a half in width," after initially assuming the extra space was for a servant or additional luggage. The narrator makes note of its strange shape and, in particular, an odd odour emanating from it. He still believes that his friend has obtained a particularly priceless copy of The Last Supper, though. The narrator is startled to learn that Wyatt and his wife share the state-chamber with the box, while the two sisters share the second room.