bennett: he spoke french with a rumanian accent, and wore a monocle.

carr: he is obviously trying to pass himself off as a spy. it is a form of vanity widely indulged in in zurich during a european war, i believe, and adds greatly to the inconveniences caused by the crowds of real spies who conspire to fill the odeon and the terrasse, and make it almost impossible to get a table at either.

bennett: i have noticed him with a group of friends at the terrasse, sir. whether they were conspirators i could not, of course, tell.

carr: to masquerade as a conspirator, or at any rate to speak french with a rumanian accent and wear a monocle, is at least as wicked as to be one; in fact, rather more wicked, since it gives a dishonest impression of perfidy, and moreover, makes the over-crowding in the cafes gratuitous, being the result neither of genuine intrigue nor bona fide treachery.

(wildean pastiche by tom stoppard, in travesties.)