The Secret Agent

Leaving his office, the Assistant Commissioner goes directly to his superior, Sir Ethelred. Sir Ethelred is the Home Secretary of Great Britain; he is unconcerned by the finer details, but he wants to know whether “this is the beginning of another dynamite campaign” (100). The Assistant Commissioner delivers his report about the bombing and criticizes “the existence of secret agents” (102), which he believes should not be tolerated. The Assistant Commissioner also voices concerns about Chief Inspector Heat, noting Heat’s affinity for developing close connections with untrustworthy people such as Mr. Verloc. Such people, he believes, could potentially cause more harm than good. However, he outlines his plan to speak directly to Verloc about the bombing. In exchange for information about the “true objective” (104), the shadowy figure who recruited Verloc, he will offer Verloc immunity from prosecution. Sir Ethelred approves the plan and tells the Assistant Commissioner to keep him updated.

Leaving Sir Ethelred’s office, the Assistant Commissioner talks to Sir Ethelred’s young secretary, Toodles, about Sir Ethelred’s plans to nationalize the fishing industry in Britain, then returns to his department. Afterward, he dines at an Italian restaurant, viewing the other diners as people who are “as denationalized as the dishes set before them” (109).