Who is Brown from Collected Short Stories Volume Three and what is their importance? W._Somerset_Maugham English & Literature Brown | Collected Short Stories Volume Three

Brown appears in the story, His Excellency. When Witherspoon tells Ashenden the story of his affair with an acrobat, he tells it as if it happened to a friend. When telling the story, Witherspoon gives his friend the name of Brown. Ashenden, however, isn't fooled and knows that Witherspoon is actually talking about himself.