"Yes, sir, you are Inspector Monk," answered the man in surprise, and somewhat tardily.
"All right, let me then remain here in the hall, but open the door and then shut it, so that your master can hear it and think I am gone."
The man hesitated a little and looked doubtfully at me.
"Quick! What I do, I do in the name of the law, but I have no time for further explanations. Now then!"
He did as I told him and went in again to his master.
Everything happened as I had foreseen. The servant came out soon afterward, sent away by his master, and disappeared at a sign from me into his own room.
I took off my shoes and opened the door stealthily to the lawyer's room. As I had expected, he had gone into one of the other rooms, where he kept his collection.
Without making any noise I followed him.
In the innermost room the old man stood before the open door of one of his iron safes. His shaky hands were busy trying to adjust a pair of spectacles with round glasses to his nose.
I took my time, until he had taken out from a secret drawer an object which he held close up to his eyes. The next minute my hand lay on his shoulder, and immediately after the black tortoise was safe in my pocket!