“You’re quite sure about it, sir. You identify it positively?”

 

“Absolutely. No doubt whatever.”

 

“Where was this—er—curio usually kept? Can you tell me that, sir?”

 

It was the secretary who answered.

 

“In the silver table in the drawing-room.”

 

“What?” I exclaimed.

 

The others looked at me.

 

“Yes, doctor?” said the inspector encouragingly.

 

“It’s nothing.”

 

“Yes, doctor?” said the inspector again, still more encouragingly.

 

“It’s so trivial,” I explained apologetically. “Only that when I arrived last

night for dinner I heard the lid of the silver table being shut down in the

drawing-room.”

 

I saw profound skepticism and a trace of suspicion on the inspector’s