The Secret Agent

The Assistant Commissioner, having met Verloc, meets Toodles at Parliament. They go to the offices of Sir Ethelred, with the Assistant Commissioner explaining his plans to catch Vladimir by using someone else as bait. He explains to Sir Ethelred that Verloc confessed eagerly, revealing the roles of the “weak-minded” Stevie and Vladimir in the bomb attack (160). Michaelis, he says, knew nothing even though he had spent time with Stevie.

Though the Assistant Commissioner and Sir Ethelred are surprised by how seriously Verloc took Vladimir’s threat, Verloc evidently took the threat seriously. He was motivated by anger and fear, they surmise. They wonder whether he ever planned for Stevie to get hurt, suspecting that Verloc may have sought to die by suicide in the blast instead. The Assistant Commissioner allowed Verloc to go because he does not believe that Verloc will leave the country. He notes that Verloc is seemingly genuinely in love with his wife. The affair, he suggests, has the air of a “domestic drama” (163).

The benefactor of Michaelis hosts the usual guests at her home. The wealthy, powerful people talk about politics and revolutions. The Assistant Commissioner arrives and assures the benefactor that Michaelis is innocent.