The Spy Paramount by E. Phillips Oppenheim

Heinrich Behrling, the man whom the most widely read paper in Berlin had called only that morning "the underground ruler of Germany, " showed no hesitation in taking the vacated easy-chair and he watched the disappearance of the still burning cigar out of the window with an air of satisfaction. In response to a wave of the hand, his escort retired. He breathed a sigh of relief.

"It gives me no pleasure to be so attended," he declared, "but what would you have? The communists have sworn that before the end of the week I shall be a dead man. I prefer to live."