‘It’s a personal matter,’ replied the spokesman.  ’I will explain it to him, if you will kindly ask him to come here a moment.’

Logotheti smiled pleasantly.

‘Quite so,’ he said.  ’You are, no doubt, reporters, and wish to interview him.  As a personal friend of his, and between you and me, I don’t think he’ll see you.  You had better write and ask for an appointment.  Don’t you think so, Griggs?’

The author’s large, grave features relaxed in a smile of amusement as he nodded his approval of the plan.

‘We do not represent the press,’ answered the man.

‘Ah!  Indeed?  How very odd!  But of course—­’ Logotheti pretended to understand suddenly—­’how stupid of me!  No doubt you are from the bank.  Am I not right?’

‘No.  You are mistaken.  We are not from Threadneedle Street.’

’Well, then, unless you will enlighten me, I really cannot imagine who you are or where you come from!’

‘We wish to speak in private with Mr. Van Torp.’

‘In private, too?’ Logotheti shook his head, and turned to Griggs.  ‘Really, this looks rather suspicious; don’t you think so?’

Griggs said nothing, but the smile became a broad grin.

The spokesman, on his side, turned to his two companions and whispered, evidently consulting them as to the course he should pursue.

‘Especially after the warning Lord Creedmore has received,’ said Logotheti to Griggs in a very audible tone, as if explaining his last speech.

The man turned to him again and spoke in a gravely determined tone—­

‘I must really insist upon seeing Mr. Van Torp immediately,’ he said.

‘Yes, yes, I quite understand you,’ answered Logotheti, looking at him with a rather pitying smile, and then turning to Griggs again, as if for advice.

The elder man was much amused by the ease with which the Greek had so far put off the unwelcome visitors and gained time; but he saw that the scene must soon come to a crisis, and prepared for action, keeping his eye on the three, in case they should make a dash at the door that communicated with the rest of the house.

During the two or three seconds that followed, Logotheti reviewed the situation.  It would be an easy matter to trick the three men into the short winding staircase that led up to the rooms Griggs occupied, and if the upper and lower doors were locked and barricaded, the prisoners could not forcibly get out.  But it was certain that the leader of the party had a warrant about him, and this must be taken from him before locking him up, and without any acknowledgment of its validity; for even the lawless Greek was aware that it was not good to interfere with officers of the law in the execution of their duty.  If there had been more time he might have devised some better means of attaining his end than occurred to him just then.

‘They must be the lunatics,’ he said to Griggs, with the utmost calm.