The Spy in Black · Chapter
IV: What Happened on Sunday explained
Von Belke spends a dreary Sunday confined to the manse while Tiel preaches a bogus sermon.
What happens
Von Belke spends a dreary Sunday confined to the manse while Tiel preaches a bogus sermon. Tiel reveals he has bigger schemes and asks von Belke to delay his return to the submarine, but von Belke insists on consulting Commander Wiedermann. Tiel later reports that the fleet's sailing date may be moved to Friday, requiring von Belke to stay another night.
Themes in this chapter
Duty vs. Personal Feeling
Von Belke struggles between his duty to rejoin his ship and Tiel's request to stay for the larger espionage scheme.
Deception and Espionage
Tiel's bogus sermon and his secret plans highlight the pervasive deception required in intelligence work.
The Cost of War
Von Belke reflects on the dreary, prolonged waiting endured by the British fleet, contrasting it with the German navy's different arrangements.
Characters to notice
- Lieutenant von Belke
Impatient and restless, von Belke longs to rejoin his submarine and struggles with the delay imposed by Tiel's plans.
- Adolph Tiel
Tiel preaches a successful sermon and reveals he has 'something even bigger' in mind, pressing von Belke to stay longer.
- Commander Wiedermann
Von Belke plans to appeal to Wiedermann as his superior officer to decide whether he should remain ashore.
- Captain Ashington
Ashington sends a message to Tiel about the fleet's sailing date possibly being altered to Friday.
Key passages
“We are such a religious people, that surely we can count on God forgiving us more readily than other nations.”
Tiel sarcastically suggests that British piety gives them a divine excuse for their actions.
Tiel's dry humor reveals his cynical view of using religion as a cover for espionage.
“The German navy has had its gloomy and impatient seasons, but not such a prolonged purgatory as that. We have a different arrangement.”
Von Belke contrasts the German navy's more dynamic operations with the British fleet's long, static waiting in the Orkneys.
Highlights the different strategic postures of the two navies during the war.
“I am sorry to seem disobliging; but I am a naval officer, and my first duty is quite clear to me.”
Von Belke insists that his primary obligation is to his ship, not to Tiel's espionage plans.
Shows von Belke's commitment to his naval duty over personal loyalty to Tiel.