‘How does Colonel Sigersen pay your bill?’
‘By cheque,’ was the ready answer. ‘By cheque on the Bergen and
Christiania Bank.’
‘Is it usual for foreign visitors to have a banking account open in
Christiania?’ I inquired, keeping up the part of a detective.
The manager admitted it was not. Evidently, now I had drawn his
attention to the point, it struck him as suspicious. I left him,
feeling that I had secured an ally in my watch on Marloff, and made
my way to the offices of the bank.
The director of this institution received me with every courtesy.
Bankers are too often victimised for them to regard the police with
any feeling but gratitude. The tale I brought was received with open
ears.
‘I have reason to think that an account has been opened with you for
purposes of fraud. If I am right, the swindlers have endeavoured to
gain your confidence at the outset by a large credit. This credit has
been opened in the name of Colonel Sigersen, a pretended Finlander.’
The manager was visibly alarmed.
‘A gentleman of that name has opened an account with us, certainly,’
he answered cautiously. ‘But he brought the very best introductions.
In fact I could not have asked for better.’
‘Have you any objection to tell me the character of those
introductions?’
‘I don’t mind telling you that one was from a well-known citizen, a
man in a very responsible position.’
‘In short, Judge ----?’
The manager started.
‘How did you know that?’ he demanded.
‘I have been on Colonel Sigersen’s track for a long time,’ I answered
evasively. ‘I venture to think that if you make inquiries, you will
find that his Honour, Judge ---- knows very little about him really,
and nothing at all about his financial standing.’
‘I will communicate with his Honour, and let you know the result.’
‘Do so, by all means. In the meanwhile, perhaps, you may be willing
to tell me how this man’s credit is supplied?’
The manager hesitated.
‘I hardly know whether I ought to betray his affairs until I have
something more to go upon.’
‘Perhaps you will let me ask you if Sigersen has yet made a large
payment in rouble notes?’
‘I can answer that--no.’
‘Then I think you may be safe for the present,’ I said. ‘When he
does, I advise you to pass them on to your Russian correspondents as
quickly as possible.’
This shot told. The manager became very uneasy. By degrees I worked
on his fears till he invited me to examine his ledger. I did so, and
found that Marloff had brought a heavy credit from a Petersburg bank,
and, what was more to my purpose, had drawn several heavy cheques to
the order of Judge ----.
‘So far you seem to be on the safe side,’ I commented as I finished
my inspection. ‘But I have two pieces of advice to give you. On no
account let this man overdraw his ascertained credit, and do not
honour any cheques drawn against rouble notes till you hear from me
again.’
[Illustration: “‘Let me see your warrant,’ I said.”]
The manager thanked me, and allowed me to depart.
I had now to consider the best way in which to approach the judge,
who was not likely to prove easily gullible, as it was fairly certain
that Marloff and he were in each other’s confidence.
But I had underrated the Russian’s resources. On re-entering my hotel
I was accosted by a man in the uniform of the Norwegian police, who
informed me that he held a warrant for my arrest.
‘On what charge?’ I demanded, as soon as I had recovered from my
first surprise.
‘On a charge of conspiracy against the Government of Norway,’ was the
answer.
‘I arrived in Norway only yesterday,’ I exclaimed.
‘All that you can tell to the judge,’ retorted the police officer.
‘Let me see your warrant,’ I said.
The man produced the paper, while the hotel manager, who had arrived
on the scene, looked on astonished, as he well might.
The warrant bore the signature of Judge ----.
‘Take me to the judge instantly, if you will be so good,’ I said.
‘I am going to,’ the officer returned.
He made no attempt to secure me, probably having had his
instructions. We walked together to the judge’s house; he appeared
to combine the functions of a judge and committing magistrate; and
I was conducted into a room evidently used for the examination of
prisoners.
Judge ---- entered immediately, and we exchanged scrutinising
glances. The leader of the anti-Swedish party was a young man, still
on the right side of forty, with a very determined countenance, and
a look about which there was nothing furtive or embarrassed. It was
not an intellectual face. I put the man down as a strong-willed,
ambitious intriguer, with courage, but not very much disinterested
patriotism.
‘What is the meaning of this preposterous arrest?’ I demanded, with
warmth.
‘This is an affair of State; I will examine the accused in private,’
the judge announced, not answering me directly.
As soon as the room was cleared, he turned to me.
‘Who are you?’ was his first question.
‘I am a Russian,’ I answered.
‘I know that. What is your business here?’
I breathed again. I now knew that Marloff had failed to guess my
identity.
‘I have come here on the track of certain forgers,’ I began, and went
on to tell the story I had given to the hotel manager and the banker.
Judge ---- listened incredulously.
‘I do not believe a word you have said,’ he declared. ‘Show me your
papers.’
I produced the passport and credentials from the Russian police with
which I had been careful to provide myself. They were, of course,
forged.
‘I will retain these and ascertain if they are genuine,’ the judge
observed.
‘Your Honour means that you will submit them to the suspected man,’ I
returned boldly.
‘How dare you say that? How dare you call’--he hesitated for a
second--‘Colonel Sigersen a suspected man? You know perfectly well
who he is.’
‘I know him to be the most skilful forger in Russia,’ I answered, not
quite untruthfully.
Judge ---- glared at me as if he would like to have struck me.
‘What nonsense! You know his real name.’
‘What difference does that make, your Honour?’
‘You know he is a man in high position, in the confidence of his
Government.’
‘I know he was, till recently. I have no doubt he is capable of
pretending he is still.’
The judge was plainly disconcerted by the line I was taking. He had
hoped, no doubt, that I should meet him half way.
‘On your arrival here you recognised the Count, and greeted him. He
rebuffed you, as he had a perfect right to do, and denounced you to
me as a spy. It is too late for you to turn round and pretend that he
is a criminal. It is you who are on your defence, not he.’
‘Your Honour has been imposed upon. But it is of no consequence. Tell
me what I am charged with, and I will defend myself.’
‘You are a spy.’
‘In a sense that is true. I am a detective.’
‘By whom are you employed?’
‘Your Honour has my papers.’
The judge bit his lip. He clearly did not know how to proceed. I, of
course, could see that it was not his game to bring me to a public
trial.
‘It seems to me, sir, that it is a mistake for us to quarrel,’ I
said after giving him a minute for reflection. ‘If I have annoyed
Count Marloff by recognising him, that is not an offence against the
law of Norway, I presume. On the other hand, if I am right in my
conjectures, or rather my _instructions_, the Count himself should be
the last man to provoke a public inquiry into his business here. Your
Honour knows the law better than I, but I should have thought there
might be something in the business transacted between you and the
Count which would not look well----’
He interrupted me.
‘I want to know why you are here. If you are a friend, of course
there is no need to quarrel. If not’--he shrugged his shoulders.
‘I came as a friend,’ I replied. ‘I came prepared to co-operate with
you, to assist you, in fact. But I must first know how you stand with
regard to Marloff. Is he your personal friend, or are the relations
between you exclusively political?’
‘I have no personal feeling for him,’ was the guarded answer.
‘Very good. In that case your Honour shall see my real credentials.
I must tell you frankly that Count Marloff has ceased to enjoy the
implicit confidence of his and my Government.’
I put my hand into an inner pocket, and produced a slip of paper in
the forged handwriting of the Russian Foreign Minister.
‘Does your Honour recognise that writing?’ I asked, with a confident
air.
Judge ---- was completely deceived. He glanced at the few lines,
which were in French, with an air of the greatest respect. Then he
looked at me.
‘I must apologise, Prince ----’ he began, when I raised a warning
finger.
‘Hush! Not my real name, please.’
I took back the paper with an air as if my life depended on its
preservation, and restored it to my pocket.
‘I am exceedingly sorry to have had to show you this,’ I said
gravely. ‘I have, in fact, exceeded my instructions, which were
simply to watch Count Marloff and report on the progress he was
making. His own violent action has forced me to go further than I
wished. I am sorry to say it confirms the suspicion entertained
in the Foreign Office that he is playing a double game. He is a
_protégé_ of M. de Witte’s, but M. de Witte is not infallible.
‘Now I am afraid I must ask your Honour to take me into your
confidence. I trust you have not put yourself into Marloff’s power? I
know that he has paid you considerable sums.’
Judge ---- looked decidedly nervous.
‘I have given him nothing in writing, I believe,’ he answered,
glancing at the same time at an iron safe let into the wall of the
room.
‘So far, so good. It is writing that counts in these affairs. Have
you any objection to my seeing the memoranda you have made of your
conversations with him?’
The judge stared at me as if I had been a wizard.
‘I don’t know what makes you think I have taken any memoranda,’ he
protested.
‘Just as you please, sir,’ I said drily. ‘I should have been
gratified if you had so far confided in me as to let me glance inside
that safe. But you are right to be cautious.’
[Illustration: “He bent forward to listen, and as he did so I
launched my clenched fist at his right temple with my full force.”]
His eyes turned once more in the direction of the safe, in spite
of himself. I saw a struggle going on in his mind.
‘There is no necessity for you to decide hastily,’ I said in my
blandest tones. ‘I am as anxious as you are that you should have
every possible security. If you are so far satisfied as to release me
from arrest, we can sit down and talk over things quietly.’
This hint had the desired effect. The judge called in the policeman,
and informed him that his services were no longer required.
As soon as I heard the outer door of the building clang to on the
departing officer, I drew nearer the judge, lowering my voice to a
confidential whisper, as I said--
‘Now you shall have the truth.’
He bent forward to listen, and as he did so I launched my clenched
fist at his right temple with my full force, and he dropped senseless
without so much as a sigh.
The moment I was satisfied that he was unconscious I stepped to the
door and locked it. Then I rifled his pocket of his bunch of keys,
picked out the right one, and opened the safe, all without drawing
breath.
The contents of the safe were chiefly official law papers, which I
did not waste time over. But in a narrow tray at the top I found
something that interested me more.
It was nothing less than a draft treaty--a treaty to be made between
the Norwegian Ministry, acting without the knowledge of their King,
and the Imperial Government of Russia!
I did not stay to read the document through. After a hasty look to
make sure I was leaving nothing else of importance behind, I locked
the safe, drew off its key from the bunch, and dropped the other keys
on the floor beside the stunned man, slipped quietly out of the room
and out of the house.
Instead of returning to my hotel, I made my way down to the
harbour--I did not dare to risk trying to get a train. In the harbour
I hired a small fishing-boat with a sail, and put straight out to
sea. It was on the tossing waters of the Cattegat by moonlight that
I took in the provisions of the extraordinary compact between the
Norwegian conspirators and their Imperial ally.
The document had been carefully drawn up, evidently with an eye to
the public opinion of Europe, which would naturally be scandalised
by an alliance between the great Slave despotism and a Teutonic
commonwealth.
The treaty began by reciting that the Union between Sweden and Norway
had been forced on the Norwegians against their will, by the Swedes
aided by Russia’s authority. It went on to state that the Union had
failed to benefit either country, and that Russia had consented to
undo her past injury to Norway by helping her to annul the bond.
Then followed the particulars of the aid to be rendered. Norway
pledged herself not to make any open move till the signal was given
from Petersburg, which was to be as soon as Finland had settled
down into the condition of a Russian province. In the meantime the
Norwegians were to strengthen themselves in every possible way, and
to keep up a steady pressure of agitation against Sweden.
As soon as all was ready, the Norwegian Storthing was to meet in
secret session and proclaim Norway a free and independent Republic,
under the protection of the Tsar, and mass her troops on the
frontier. Two Russian Army Corps were to be ready in Finland, on the
pretext of manœuvres, and these were to be hurled across the frontier
to the north of the Gulf of Bothnia. At the same time the Russian
fleet was to cross the Baltic, occupy the island of Gothland, and
blockade Stockholm and the Swedish ports.
All these measures were to be taken merely as precautions. If the
Swedes accepted the inevitable, the Russians were to retire again. If
the Swedes took up arms, war was to be declared, and Russia was to
annex Gothland to her Empire, the Norwegians receiving territory in
the north.
And what was the price which the Tsar was to receive for this mighty
demonstration? It was not a nominal one. The Norwegian Republic bound
itself to grant to his Imperial Majesty a lease for twenty-five
years--that is to say, for ever--of a warm-water port on the Atlantic
Ocean, to be used as a depôt and coaling station for the Russian
Fleet.
It was the dream of six generations of Muscovite statesmen realised
at last. Russia, with one foot on the Atlantic and another on the
Pacific, would dominate the Old World.
All that night the fishing-boat carried me along in the track of
the Baltic steamers. At dawn I boarded an English packet going into
Gothenburg, and thirty-six hours later I stood again in King Oscar’s
cabinet, and placed the treaty in his hands.
I watched the brave monarch read it through from beginning to end
without one manifestation of dismay or even of indignation.
‘My poor subjects!’ was his sole remark as he raised his eyes at
the end. ‘They little know the fate they are preparing for their
children.’
I asked if his Majesty had any further instructions for me. To my
surprise he answered, ‘Yes.’
[Illustration: “I watched the brave monarch read it through from
beginning to end without one manifestation of dismay.”]
‘There is only one quarter to which I can look for aid,’ he said,
‘and that is England. Germany is a broken reed. Go to England, take
this document with you, show it to the principal members of the
Government, telling them how it came into your hands, and ask them
if they wish to see a Russian Cherbourg within twelve hours of the
Scottish coast. If they remain indifferent, I can do nothing more.’
‘The English Press?’ I suggested doubtfully.
‘The Norwegians have captured it, I fear,’ objected his Majesty.
‘Norway is the playground of the British tourist; and, besides, the
English consider themselves half Norwegian by race. No, popular
sentiment in Great Britain is on the side of Norway.’
‘Nevertheless, sire, if thoughtful Englishmen could be made to
realise that, for the sake of pique--for a mere whim--the Norwegians
were about to place the keys of the Atlantic in the hands of
Britain’s most formidable foe, they might make their influence felt.’
‘Do what you think best, M. V----,’ the King said wearily. ‘I am
getting an old man, and I wish for peace.’