Ashenden · Chapter
II: A Domiciliary Visit explained
Ashenden returns to Geneva by steamer after a stormy crossing from France, where he had delivered a report.
What happens
Ashenden returns to Geneva by steamer after a stormy crossing from France, where he had delivered a report. He recalls a recent urgent mission: an Indian agent informed him of a Bengali spy in German service who left a black cane trunk of documents in the Zürich station cloakroom. The Germans planned to burgle the station that night to retrieve it. Ashenden traveled to Berne to alert British Intelligence, but it was too late for them to act directly; they instead alerted Swiss authorities. Back in Geneva, Ashenden reflects on his fragmented role in the espionage machine, then deals with a spy named Bernard who attempts blackmail. Ashenden coolly refuses and threatens consequences, leaving Bernard to decide. The chapter ends with Ashenden relaxing in a hot bath, relieved to have avoided arrest.
Themes in this chapter
Boredom and Routine in War
Ashenden reflects on the tedious, fragmented nature of his work, comparing it to modern novels with unrelated episodes.
Deception and Identity
Ashenden's covert travel, false passport stamps, and the cat-and-mouse game with Bernard highlight the theme of deception.
Moral Ambiguity of Espionage
Ashenden's calm negotiation with Bernard, threatening future consequences while acknowledging the absurdity of the situation, underscores moral ambiguity.
Characters to notice
- Ashenden
Narrator and protagonist; returns from France, recalls foiling a burglary plot, and handles a blackmail attempt by Bernard.
- R.
Ashenden's chief; mentioned as someone who would call Ashenden a damned fool if he got arrested.
- Gustav
Not directly present, but the Indian agent's report about the Bengali spy in German service relates to Gustav's network.
Key passages
“It was as unsatisfactory as those modern novels that give you a number of unrelated episodes and expect you by piecing them together to construct in your mind a connected narrative.”
Ashenden compares his fragmented espionage work to a disjointed modern novel, where he only sees pieces of the action.
Reflects Ashenden's frustration with his limited view of operations.
“He made up his mind that, on getting back to his hotel, he would have a fire lit in his sitting-room, a hot bath, and dinner comfortably by the fireside in pyjamas and a dressing-gown.”
Ashenden looks forward to a cozy evening alone after the miserable crossing.
Highlights his desire for comfort and routine amid the chaos.
“The wild weather with a scornful gesture had swept all the neatness from the trim promenade.”
The storm has stripped the orderly lakeside promenade of its usual tidiness.
Personifies the weather as disdainful, emphasizing the harsh environment.
“You had a feeling in that black and bitter night that civilisation, ashamed of its artificiality, cowered before the fury of elemental things.”
The night's ferocity makes civilization seem fragile and artificial.
Evokes a sense of primal nature overwhelming human order.
“Really, there are moments in life when all this to-do that has led from the primeval slime to myself seems almost worth while.”
Ashenden finds the simple pleasure of a hot bath makes the entire evolutionary journey worthwhile.
A moment of ironic contentment after tension.