The Black Tortoise

od in the police superintendent's office

e that I would be appointed in his place. "I have already spoken to the Minister of the Interior about it, and you can consider the matter as good as settled," were the words with which my superior officer, som

pecially of late, almost as a comrade; that is to say, as far as

hand as soon as I

a corner, who then pushed a large armchair toward me. "You can go into the an

in Drammen Road. If I know you rightly, you have already made up your mind about the case. From what I have heard you are

ief should know a secret which I, like all oth

seem to expect it; but I began, as shortly and briefly as possible, to explain t

an account of the p

llection and his mania for collecting! I have heard that his relations are trying to prove that he is incapable of looking afte

rash upon him; but if there is an object of real value, one way

collection, and he nearly worried the life out of Frick with

in the house, besides, the cook, the housemaid, and the gardener. The coachman was on a visit to his family at Moss. I have alread

during the afternoon; she had got permiss

uilding which I told you about some time ago,-the one which Mr. Frick, upon my adv

en the custom to serve the coffee in the museum, es

th time asked to see the black tortoise, and w

cash for it!' sh

much, my dear Jurgens,' old Frick had replied,

r curiosities. He was especially struck with a little elephant carved in ivory with a clock in its forehead. The clock-works lie

a relief to the family when the tiresome old man was taken away by his servant. You know he has s

going to lock the cases, after having put every

ly been drinking, had nearly upset th

from the museum

they all went into the house. Thus it came about that old Frick forgot t

tly five o'clock

r-dinner nap. Miss Sigrid went out for a walk; s

back a quarter of an hour, and awaited her

o'clock, drank tea, and went th

t again for a little walk, a

mbered that the door of the museum was not locked, and

t seven in the little lodge; he had been busy with some carpentering,

t time. The key to the gate hung in the room where he w

ho went out at five and came home in

home, but went out again

he had a gun and game-bag, and took a fo

gain went out, accompanied

had been in the kitchen or t

report, Mr. Monk; you seem to have got it all

get confused, if I take down anything except what is absolutely

tective. But tell me one thing; how can you be so sure that the different times you mentio

int. Old Frick has a remarkably good pocket chronometer, and

t stands on a shelf just over the cupboard where the diamond had its place. Although it had not been regulated

starting-point: the time

ach day. The servants have got into the habit of being mos

e in time for the train. Mr. Howell had made the remark as he was passing out th

ich I have mentioned cannot be far

iries at the pawnbrokers' and jewelle

ve led to no result, and

tortoise, which would be so difficult to dispose of, whilst he had plenty of other salable articles to select from, must have ha

y finished with your investigations. But it would really be interesting to make a few

the case; and I could not refuse, although I h

nd; the gardener Iverson, Mr. Howell, the maid Evelina, the cook, or the housemaid. All these

two people

red a

old Frick an

also, but it was a sorry attempt, and a

nt evidently too

oint. It is part of a policeman's ABC that he must suspec

with the situation, or with the genial tone of my superior; but I could not get

, this will not prove the opposite. But tell

sible from the subject, which I had been foolish enough to discuss in rathe

nity of taking possession of the diamond and getting away with it from the house. There would be no risk for him to enter the muse

ssion of being a gentleman, that he is tied by the bond of friendship to the Frick family, and fi

u sure

, I called on Wendel, the banker. I myself recommended this highly respected firm to M

remainder of a sum of money he had brought with him in cash and deposited with the banker; besides which, instructions had been

r as you yourself think best; you have, of course, not had much time for inquiries, and I ought, perhaps, not to have been so inquisitive at such an early stage of the investigations; but you must rather look upon o

ndent shook m

theatre come in," he said resigne

d me from the superintendent, marke

om my mind. Couldn't it have been lost in quite an ordinary way; fall

some one for fun has hidden

that any one should have stolen it-the most unsalable arti

ideration, and apply the greates

diamond will soon be the

make fools of themselves. That is to say, they must not le

nd in all probability the

rs,