The Secret Pilgrim
John le Carré
 George Smiley unexpectedly accepts an invitation from Ned to speak at the agent training school at Sarratt. Ned revels silently in his memories as Smiley imparts his wisdom to a class of newly-recruited MI6 students, pausing only to polish his spectacles on the fat end of his tie to the secret delight of all present; a mannerism frequently mentioned in the Smiley canon. Smiley's sections of the book are quite brief; the bulk of the book consists of Ned's reminiscences, prompted by his interpretation of tangential comments made by Smiley and illuminated from his own experiences. At the end of the penultimate chapter, Smiley instructs them not to invite him again. The final chapter is unconnected with Smiley; Ned recollects Leonard Burr, who appears in the novel The Night Manager. The themes of the book are Smiley's sense of the moral ambiguity of spying, and Ned's growing self-awareness.