‘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——’