The atmosphere at the start

We see Carruthers smoking a cigar at his desk, in the Foreign Office in London. Outside it is sunny and green, but he has to stay in, with nothing to do. He is bored. In real life when you are bored, it is your problem...but in books and films (Carruthers, Hannay, sometimes Sherlock Holmes) as soon as someone is bored, something exciting happens very soon afterwards!