SLSL: Under Rose - Porpentine

[Samuel Moyer]

Porpentine is "il smplice Inglese"  a different generation of spy.  Watches
and acts only when he has to.

101  "Then let it rain, Porpentine thought, rain soon.  He sat at a small
wrought-iron table  in front of a cafe, smoking cigarettes with a third cup
of coffee..."

102  His tactics... "Living in the most frequented hotels, sitting in the
tourist cafes, traveling by the most respectable, public routes."

103  "He sat now wondering....  He watched the sun darken..."

106  Moldewoerp's Chief amusement, Porpentine reflected..."

109  "Porpentine looked about the consulate, checking off diplomatic
personnel..."

116  "Porpentine had been watching Bongo-Shaftsbury very closely, since the
tic..."

Porpentine acts rarely...  When he sees Moldwoerp talking with the
Streetwalker...117-8.  He races out.

At the train station (119) Porpentine stays in the shadows, it is Goodfellow
he races into action.

122.  Porpentine jumps into action to assist Goodfellow on the train... he
moves in cautiously and waits for his moment... when the throat of the Arab
is exposed enough, then he takes one kick, which was sufficient.

Another time (126), Porpentine climbs out on a ledge, falls... climbs a
tree, spies on Goodfellow with Victoria.

Porpentine is strikingly different from Goodfellow - and other agents... the
newer agents.  Goodfellow is less careful (considered Bongo-Shaftsbury a
lunitic archeologist (104) or always has a girl on his arm... cock-a-hoop.

123  He [Propentine] opened his eyes to watch Bongo-Shatsbury, engrossed in
a book: Sidney J. Webb's _Industrial Democracy_.  Porpentine Shrugged.  Time
was his fellow professionals became adept through practice.  Learned ciphers
by breaking them, customs officials by evading them, some opponents by
killing them.  Now the new ones read books: young lads, full of theory and
(he'd decided) a faith in nothing but the perfection of their own internal
machinery."

Sam