Smiley sets up his operational headquarters in the Hotel Islay. He books the rooms under the name Barraclough. Mendel gives the owner a large tip and asks her to keep careful records of people, letters, and objects that come and go from the room. Mendel is careful, but he is being monitored by Prideaux. Worried that someone is watching him, Prideaux uses his students to track Mendel while Mendel himself tries to uncover information about Prideaux on the school grounds.

Smiley asks for important, confidential documents to help with his investigation and reads them each evening. Lacon provides the documents, but he is angry about Smiley’s willingness to breach the normal protocols. One of the documents Lacon gives to Smiley concerns Operation Witchcraft. Smiley is intrigued and asks for more information, though Lacon resents his line of questioning. Lacon explains that the answers Smiley wants are located inside the safe in the office of the government minister for whom Lacon works. Lacon does not know the combination. Smiley reiterates that he wants as much information as possible about Prideaux and the failed Czechoslovakia operation.