All this was nothing more than I had been prepared for by King Oscar. The task now before me was to ascertain if possible what was the nature of the understanding between Judge —— and the agent of the Russian Government.
I asked the hotel manager—
‘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.’