The Spy in Black · Chapter
II: The Chauffeur explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Burnett prepares to travel to Myredale, but a suspiciously long and clear telegram from Robert Drummond alters his plans: a Mr. Taylor will pick him up by car. When Taylor arrives, he is the same 'Lancashire lad' Burnett met earlier. Taylor reacts oddly when Burnett tries to invite the chauffeur for tea, claiming the man is a teetotaler. Mary, the maid, later approaches the chauffeur and is startled by his resemblance to the minister. Earlier, a suspicious soldier had questioned Mary about Burnett's departure.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Espionage
The suspicious telegram, Taylor's odd behavior, and the chauffeur's hidden identity suggest a covert operation.
Appearance vs. Reality
Taylor's jolly demeanor masks his alarm; the chauffeur's liveried appearance hides a familiar face.
Trust and Betrayal
Burnett's trust in Drummond's arrangements is undermined by the telegram's peculiarities and Taylor's actions.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Burnett
The minister, suspicious of the telegram and Taylor's behavior, and struck by the chauffeur's familiarity.
- Mr. Taylor
The jovial motorist who picks up Burnett; his overreaction to Burnett approaching the chauffeur raises suspicion.
- Mary
The minister's maid; she tries to offer tea to the chauffeur and notices his resemblance to Mr. Burnett.
- Robert Drummond
Burnett's friend who sent the unusually long and clear telegram arranging the car ride.
Key passages
“Robert Drummond never wrote out that wire himself. He must just have told someone what he wanted to say, and they must have written it themselves.”
Mr. Burnett concludes that the telegram was not composed by Drummond, but dictated to someone else.
Highlights the suspicion that the telegram is a forgery or part of a deception.
“He had caught a glimpse of the chauffeur, a clean-shaven, well-turned-out man, sitting back in his seat with his cap far over his eyes, and even in that hurried glance at part of his face he had been struck with something curiously familiar about the man.”
Burnett briefly sees the chauffeur and feels a strange sense of recognition.
Foreshadows the chauffeur's true identity and the theme of disguise.
“The liveried figure might have been the twin-brother of the minister.”
Mary thinks the chauffeur looks exactly like Mr. Burnett.
Suggests the chauffeur is impersonating or closely resembles the minister.