The smile widened. "Perhaps a bit of an archaeologist as well," he said. "Indeed it does. A special order, I'm afraid, but I wouldn't dream of locking away such a piece. You never know what might take offense."
He rapped his pipe against his jaw for a moment, looking intently at the young man. "Ah," he said after a moment. "Now I see." He took a step to the left and opened a cabinet. From this, he drew a wine-colored velvet pouch and brought it to the desk. "This," he said, opening the pouch, "I believe, belongs to you."
It appeared at first to be a fob watch, engraved with intricate circular patters, but when the man switched it open, it was a compass, the needle swaying gently with the movement of his hands.