Pimpernel and Rosemary · Chapter
II explained
Three days after the execution of Alice Gerbier, M.
What happens
Three days after the execution of Alice Gerbier, M. de Kervoisin meets with the secret agent known as Number Ten in Lille. Number Ten recounts how he tracked and trapped Alice Gerbier, a spy who used British airmen's tunics to smuggle information to the Germans, and describes the thrill of witnessing her execution.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Betrayal
Number Ten's elaborate deception of Alice Gerbier, using a false romance to trap her.
Journalism and Truth
Indirectly referenced through the spy's clever concealment of information in tunics.
Characters to notice
- M. de Kervoisin
Meets with Number Ten in Lille, expresses horror at the execution.
- Number Ten
Describes his role in trapping Alice Gerbier and his pleasure in witnessing her execution.
- Alice Gerbier
The executed spy; her method of using airmen's tunics is revealed.
Key passages
“It is a thrill well worth experiencing.”
Number Ten finds watching an execution exhilarating.
Reflects his cold, ruthless nature.
“She was dangerous because she was so extraordinarily clever.”
Number Ten acknowledges Alice Gerbier's intelligence as the source of her threat.
Highlights the cat-and-mouse game of espionage.