(This is a sequel to 'The Six Napoleons'.)
"Well!" I exclaimed to Holmes, as Lestrade returned to Scotland Yard with the precious black pearl in his pocket. "What an extraordinary case! Who would've thought such an inoffensive object could hold such priceless treasure?"
"You said the very same about the blue carbuncle hidden in the Christmas goose, if I recall," Holmes smiled. "Although, Watson, even that adventure was not the first case I ever had of its kind."
"Really?" It wasn't often I caught Holmes in a communicative mood over early cases.
"Indeed." Holmes cast himself into his armchair, stifling a yawn as the usual post-case lethargy crept back up on him. "One Christmas, I assisted Lestrade in breaking up a smuggling ring. The culprits were melting down stolen silver and casting it into new moulds... of toy soldiers."
I gaped. "Of course... Once painted, no one would ever think those heavy little figures weren't simply made of lead!"
"Precisely. Fortunately, we were able to track down most of the purchased sets discreetly, and without the press getting wind of it." Holmes chuckled in satisfaction, and I had to join in, although not without a pang of sympathy. That Christmas would have been a great deal less jolly for some parents, having found out that they'd unwittingly been hiding a king's ransom under the tree!