The Black Tortoise

to Zurich to complete your studies as engineer, I went in seriously for law,

had from the university; and with this, together with a small inheritance from my father, I could have

tudent's bench only to climb immediately to the dusty ch

country, where there was little to do, but plenty of game and fishing; and I

spent about two years in fining young men for disorderly conduct in the s

act a man for any length of time, and I explained this to our amiable

ill, on the other hand, I should be much deceived, after my many years of experience, if you do not find your right sphere in the detective department. Practically every one is aware that it is to you we owe our success in the great post office robbery, although officially

ned a year's leave; a year which I spent abroad in tra

how useful my stay a

if I am to take into consideration the overwhelming praise which my superiors gradually poured

up and down the floor, as was his habit

until the day when the incident occurred which since has played such

the skin, and dead beat, I came driving up to my lodgings in University Street. At that time

the Egeberg hills. The expedition had been long and irkso

five hours in one of the small streets in the East end, and was just as disappointed at the lack of succe

rofusion of thanks was lighting a cigar and bowing

ried to him, and rus

u Monk, the po

who

My house has been broken into. I thought that a man like you woul

ht, I wi

rick was right in saying that I liked to be the first on the spot. Some minutes later the

ere on our way, to recall w

ere between twenty and thirty years of age. For a generation or so no one heard anything of him, unt

shipload of curiosities and costly articles, and w

that he had won his fortune, so people said, as cap

as that he had acquired his fortune at gold washing in Australia, and diamond digging in

Drammen Road, and this he filled with the curiosities which he h

regarding his family, and he found that his only remaining relations

the poor widow with benefactions, and brought the poor, weak soul to a state of gr

d her two children, a boy and a girl, and it was g

tiania, and had a widespread reputation fo

not far from his property, for during the last few years old Frick has been confined to his house, an invalid, and he never shows himself outsi

ate, which was immediately opened by a man, the

pared for my arrival, and I follow

t of which stood some servants whispering together, until we ca

es, and of all ages; stuffed animals in the middle of the room and in the corners. On a shelf stood some heavy altar candelabra from an old church, and from a neighbouring shelf hung a lamp, doubtless stolen from some Hindoo temple. On a bracket, op

ion-and later it proved to be correct-was that, though all these things had be

en, and a window was entirely smashed, both glass and woodwork. The storm and rain, however, did not beat in, as this room lay to the le

re him lay a large American revolver, with brightly polished barrel,

arge-patterned dressing-gown and slippe

ren, a fine young fellow with an hone

hy hair, which stuck out in unkempt tufts, and a white, thick heard under his chin. His eyes were light, and generally friendly: bu

al or another in appearance; Bartholomew Frick

were of the fulness and size of a walrus's flippers. He was stout, broad, an

titude above everything! It is the most important thing in the world. How do you think Napoleon managed to conquer the whole of Europe? What do you think it was that helped him? His promptitude, m

introduce you to Mr. Monk? Very well! This is my niece, Sigrid Frick, and that is my nephew, Einar Frick; both are the joy and stay of m

the young girl, casting a compa

have everything he wants. But meanwhile I can

ow he had lain sleepless, kept awake by a "devilish unpleasant pain in his big toe," and so toward o

loaded revolver, which always lay at hand on his table, and a sword, whic

other clothes on than his nightshirt, he had crept do

ork breaking open his cupboards and emptyi

and on their way to the window to escape. I rushed after them with the sword, and they would not have got away alive if I had not stumb

them, uncle!" faltered th

, who evidently didn't think he had time to escape before I came up, disappeared head foremost, through both glass and framework. But he didn't get through quickly enough, for when I got away from the confounded panther, his left leg was still hanging inside the wind

is moment to place on the table before you the rascal's foot, and perhaps a bit of his leg as well. Here, you can see for yourself; the

, with a bit of the sole attached, evident

gs, and out into the road. The revolver had also fallen from my grasp, or else I should have tried a couple more sho

orous twinkle in his eyes gave me to understand that this was not genuine, and, as

nd adventurous life, such as he had led from his youth to old age: stubbornness, waywardness, and tyrannical co

his temper. On the contrary, he felt himself considerably enliven

sed, and I telephoned for, etc., with the result known. But what he was especially proud about wa

ad charge of many investigations there. One thing I have learned by experience, and that is, that the place

tfulness and presence of min

t because it is of any great importance to my story, but because it

g had been touched or moved. Even the sack which the thieves had used to stow away their spo

open all the cupboards and drawers, but only putting into the bag the articles which were of the most value and the easiest of transport. Otherwise, there was little else to discover. We could follow the

. Nothing seemed to be missing; and as each article was numbered, and t

lasped her hands toge

se, uncle! the

ge diamond set in gold, and in the shape of a torto

on't know what the diamond can be worth when it is polished, but all I

out, but there was no diamond tortoise. Then the room, and at last the garden, and the neare

as the torto

hollow of a man's hand,-say about tw

orning. There was no more for me to do t

d complained in the most energetic manner that he had not bee

or my own part, I am pretty sure we shall have the birds caged

arture, put the cut-off heel bi

ally taken up with what I had hea

er face; but she attracted me strangely. I have never been of an impressionable nature, and no woman had ever had much of an attraction for me. So I was astonished to find how clea

ght; women naturally set value upon a detective's skill. It will

omplicated kind; and though the matter from a professional stand-point had not i

wet clothes, made myself a cup of coffee over th

e usual kind of cheap boots which our ordinary criminals are apt to patronize; at the same time it did not seem to have belonged to

ad just helped the police to circumstantial evidence by an impression on soft soil in a similar case. It was the same kind of boot w

have been just lately released,-in all probability yesterday morning. The burglary must have been planned and the ne

fice at the police station. It was not yet morning

lars have been discharged from jail in the co

committed by prisoners who have just been let out of jail, and w

o the guardroom and ordered

erhaps remember, sir, was discharged ye

nd out where he hangs

has the coffee-house and lodgings for travellers up by Vaalerengen. But

n a quarter of an hour I, and two officers in plain clothes,

however, and we began to s

were arriving with their tin cans in hand. Two men crept out on the other si

hey had got too much of a start, and were li

, and we soon had him between us. We let

of swore and cursed, but ot

foot of mine, the police wouldn't

w how his left foot had forced its way throug

he, with a kind of raw good nature, joked with the constables, he slowly passed one hand be

I said in a friendly tone, stepping back and picking up a dirt

of the same sort I found the s

form as the stone, and, to make its likeness to a tortoise more complete, a head was introduced, together with a little st

can see," said Black John, resignedly. "

the town between the two policemen. The effects of just-

ly. "I think it's just as well to be a convict all one's life. Then o

last night, in the Drammen R

hought all was quiet and still, and an old ourang-outang in a shirt were suddenly to appear before you with

in he talked until we reache

*

shining brightly when I again rang the

he superintendent, and now I wanted to have the p

ble than usual about my toilet

g-room. I thus had an opportunity of exchanging a few words with her; for when

n, without further ado, I showed her the diam

again he will look upon last night's affair as an e

of c

e night, Mr. Monk, and to-day I also assured him th

find you have such confidence in inc. Ma

read about you in the papers, and Einar tells

ebted to the burglars of last night for giving me this opportunity

ust hurry away and find uncle and give him the

lamplight. Light, reddish-golden hair, blue eyes, a straight nose, and a beautiful shapely mouth, yet

t of the window, w

d come back again. But the next moment I discovered that it was a young

she was wonderfully like Miss Frick. Nor was her face and especially the shape of her head unlike Miss Frick's, but her hair was much r

glance at the small, coquettish, servant-maid's cap

y left the room; she had th

Frick again appeared, and as she saw perhaps that I

ny one was here. All strangers are astonished at the l

," I answered; "do you think so yourself? I should

to-do artisan, but things went badly with him, and he took to drink. The mother is not a very desirable perso

e natural and free from any affectation than any young woman I had met.

ming like the sun. He was not satisfied this time with shaking one of my hands, but seized both in his gigantic paws. H

arat," as he called the house. He would like to have a ful

ay, and I should have felt almost duty bound to re

thing in her face which spoke of anxious

us how he had first become possessed of the to

could listen to old Frick, while I had a much

nd accounts, alone emptied a bottle of Pleidsieck monopole, and then stole away immediately after di

us nature. I represented to him how wrong it was to let so many costly articles

rick," I said, "how you tempt

himself for once

d arranging it specially as a museum or as a place of custody for all my curiosities? If I built the pavilion expressly for this purpose, I ought to be able to make it sufficiently proof against thieves. I could use iron safes, iron bars before the windo

nstructed in the garden, about forty yards from the house. A building which should serve as a depository for all his coll

part in my story, and I shall there

o receive Frick's collection. It formed a large room with no windows, but was lighted from

acquered, looked like innocent wooden boards, could be pu

hat the weakest child could move them up or down. They could be locked

ffice, and there his nephew took up his residence in the morning among the heap of business books. The smaller room, which, on

solid, double iron door, which led into th

ecessarily a good many strangers will be going in and out there. The safest thing is to let the one door to the fire-proof room, where Frick likes to keep a large sum

wice as high as a man, and people who were going

t deal of his money in various enterprises, mostly industrial undertakings

undertakings, and the work in his office was not mo

perceive, a welcome guest at the villa; indeed, all through

t so much my stories that interested him, as the fact that for each of my stories, which I tried to make as

, and we often sat by the hour together, l

fellow, who spent a good deal of his time and his money with his companions, and he gave