THE TUNISIAN DAGGER
"I was right," said Raymond excitedly. "It is the Tunisian dagger."
"Major Blunt hasn't looked at it yet," objected the inspector.
"Saw it the moment I came into the study," said the quiet man.
"You recognized it then?"
Blunt nodded.
"You said nothing about it," said the inspector suspiciously.
"Wrong moment," said Blunt. "Lot of harm done by blurting out things at the wrong time."
He returned the inspector's stare placidly enough.
The latter grunted at last and turned away. He brought the dagger over to Blunt.
"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."
[71]
