"Tom Webster had said nothing during dinner. The evening had been spoiled for him by outsiders. Paul operated all the time on hostile ground; in every country but his own he was a criminal. Outsiders, who did not know how fast betrayal traveled, could do him harm, perhaps even kill him, by knowing his name and speaking it at a cocktail party. Tonight Webster had entrusted Paul's identity to two people who had no right to know it. He put his hand on Paul's shoulder and began to speak.
He never got the words out. The doorbell rang and Webster went to answer it, closing the door behind him so that no other stranger could catch a glimpse of Paul. The others went on talking; Paul heard Webster speaking English in the hall.
When he came back, he held a perforated embassy envelope in his hand. He opened...