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 44
... sure your speech will come back to you in a minute . ” He felt certain then that he saw in those dark eyes a desperate effort to speak . He could not be mistaken . The mind was shaken by desire , but the paralysed body was incapable of ...
... sure your speech will come back to you in a minute . ” He felt certain then that he saw in those dark eyes a desperate effort to speak . He could not be mistaken . The mind was shaken by desire , but the paralysed body was incapable of ...
Page 91
... sure he didn't deposit them in some office ? At one of the consulates for example ? " " He was never out of my sight for a moment except when he was getting shaved . " The Hairless Mexican opened the drawers and the cupboard . There was ...
... sure he didn't deposit them in some office ? At one of the consulates for example ? " " He was never out of my sight for a moment except when he was getting shaved . " The Hairless Mexican opened the drawers and the cupboard . There was ...
Page 211
... sure that I don't agree with you . But in that case I must give you something better than that . " He gave an order to the butler who presently brought in a cobwebbed bottle and two enormous glasses . " I don't really want to boast ...
... sure that I don't agree with you . But in that case I must give you something better than that . " He gave an order to the butler who presently brought in a cobwebbed bottle and two enormous glasses . " I don't really want to boast ...
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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