The Private Life of Spies

by Alexander McCall Smith

The diplomatic service that Archie entered in 1906 was very different from its modern equivalent. Entry was by competitive examination, but was far from open to all. Not everybody could afford to apply: junior staff were expected to have a private income sufficient for the needs of somebody in their position – an important consideration, bearing in mind that they were not paid at all until they had been promoted to the level of third secretary. Once in post, their duties were mundane – opening letters, deciphering telegrams, and filing. Much of their time was spent in idle pursuits of one sort or another, and although they were not as free from duties as were Trollope’s non-resident clergymen, the hours were far from demanding. Further up the ladder, Foreign Office mandarins tended not to start their day’s work until after eleven in the morning, which left relatively little time to work before they went off for lunch.