The reply verb is supposed to return a message object. If my script
sets it to the verb itself, what syntax would I use to set it to
the _return value_ of executing the verb?
You might *suppose* that :-)
What I see is "reply" behaving as if it were "beep" - it just does it
and you get no reply.
You get the same with "open":
tell application "Mail"
set msg to message 400 of message viewer 1
set myMessage1 to reply msg with opening window
set myMessage2 to open msg
end tell
That gives me two open windows and two empty variables.