'Well, that is very generous of you, Mr. Holmes. I brought the bust with me, as you asked me to do. Here it is!' He opened his bag, and took out the bust. We finally saw an unbroken bust of Napoleon of the same kind that we had already seen before when it had already been broken.

Holmes put a ten-pound note upon the table. Then he took a paper from his pocket and said 'Please sign this paper, Mr. Sandeford, in front of these witnesses. This paper says that you are selling this bust to me and have no right at all to it any more. I like to do things properly, and to be ready for anything that might happen in the future. Thank you, Mr. Sandeford; here is your money, and have a very good evening.'

Our visitor left the house. After that, Sherlock Holmes began to act very oddly. He started by taking a clean white cloth and laying it over the table. Then he took the bust he had just purchased and put it in the centre of the cloth. Finally, he picked up his hunting-crop and hit the bust hard on the top of its head. The bust broke into pieces. Holmes bent over and looked eagerly at the broken bits. Next instant, with a loud shout of triumph, he held something up. It was a piece of the bust, and something round and dark was stuck into it.

'Gentlemen', Holmes announced, 'let me introduce you to the famous black pearl of the Borgias'.