His Excellency Summary

Ashenden has been sent to X to verify information that an American ambassador, Mr. William Schäfer, has been accidentally giving private information to his Swedish lover. Upon his arrival in X, Ashenden visits Sir Herbert Witherspoon, whose personality is described as polite but cold. Going about his business, Ashenden is lucky to be able to place a lady spy in the Swedish lady's home when one of the Swedish lady's maids becomes ill. Some of the most interesting information learned by this spy tends not to be any secrets shared by Schäfer, but instead the fact that Schäfer dislikes Witherspoon. Schäfer apparently dislikes Witherspoon for his proper English ways and his unwillingness to work things out in the manly fashion that Shäfer feels would be more appropriate.

When he learns of Schäfer's dislike for Witherspoon...