Ashenden, Or: The British AgentAshenden: The British Agent is founded on Maugham's experiences in the English Intelligence Department during World War I, but rearranged for the purposes of fiction. This fascinating book contains the most expert stories of espionage ever written. For a period of time after it was first published the book became official required reading for persons entering the secret service. The plot follows the imaginary John Ashenden who during World War I is a spy for British Intelligence. He is sent first to Geneva and later to Russia. Instead of one story from start to finish, the chapters contain individual stories involving many different characters. All of the people whom Ashenden meets during his travels have their own reason for being involved in the spy game, and each are more complex than they first look. |
From inside the book
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Page 97
... hour , there would have been little chance of finding a cab ; but the sky was starry . It was a summer night and the air was still . The silence walked beside them like the ghost of a dead man . When they neared the station the houses ...
... hour , there would have been little chance of finding a cab ; but the sky was starry . It was a summer night and the air was still . The silence walked beside them like the ghost of a dead man . When they neared the station the houses ...
Page 174
... hour too much ? " " No , " said Ashenden , " I should think myself lucky to get a first - rate teacher for that . " " What do you say , my dear ? Surely you can spare an hour , and you would be doing this gentlemen a kind- ness . He ...
... hour too much ? " " No , " said Ashenden , " I should think myself lucky to get a first - rate teacher for that . " " What do you say , my dear ? Surely you can spare an hour , and you would be doing this gentlemen a kind- ness . He ...
Page 194
... hour so that there should appear in him no sign of hurry . Then he went upstairs and pre- pared various communications . In one he informed R. that Caypor was going to England ; in another he made arrangements through Berne that ...
... hour so that there should appear in him no sign of hurry . Then he went upstairs and pre- pared various communications . In one he informed R. that Caypor was going to England ; in another he made arrangements through Berne that ...
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Common terms and phrases
agent Alix ambassador Anastasia Alexandrovna answer Ashen Ashenden felt Ashenden knew Ashenden looked Ashenden saw Ashenden thought asked Ashenden baroness bassador Bolsheviks Brindisi Byring Caypor chance Chandra Colonel course cried Delilah detective dine dinner door enden English everything eyes face Fafner feeling fellow fool France Fritzi gave Geneva German Giulia give glance Gustav Hairless Mexican hand Harrington head heart Herbert Witherspoon Holzminden hour humour lake laughed Lausanne Lazzari letter Lucerne married Mexican opened mind Miss King Monsieur morning neutral country never night notion O'Malley once opened Paris passport Petrograd play round Russian scrambled eggs seemed shoulders shrugged Sir Herbert sitting smile Somerville stood story Swiss Switzerland talk tell there's thing Thonon tion told took train turned Vladimir wait walked watched wife woman wondered word write