A Perfect Spy

Pym describes his father’s political campaign. Pym assisted in it, believing that it was an opportunity to finally help “the working classes” (230). On the final night of the election, Rick publicly praised his son as “one of the finest students of law” (231) in the country. The celebratory mood was punctured, however, when an Irish woman loudly asked whether Rick had served “a prison sentence for swindle and embezzlement” (233). Pym remembers 10 days before the incident, when he first arrived to help his father’s campaign. After disembarking the train, Pym was driven to meet his father by Syd Lemon, who updated him on the progress of the race and the dirty tactics Rick employed to drastically increase his odds. They entered a meeting at which Rick was scheduled to speak. In a dramatically charismatic speech, Rick outlined his “humble origins.” Pym stood and praised his father as his “best friend” and an honorable man. As the meeting ended, Pym spotted a woman with a veiled hat sitting alone. He left with Rick.

Late the following Saturday, as the election drew closer, Pym met a young local girl named Judy. Though he was romantically interested in Judy, he was just as interested in the “chipped green filing cabinet” (240) belonging to his father that he had spent years hoping to open.