Quote of the weekend

From John Le Carré, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, ch. 16:

With a sigh, [Smiley] drew towards him the first of the Witchcraft files, and, having vouchsafed a gingerly lick to his right finger and thumb, set to work matching the official memory with his own.

I love "vouchsafed." Much better than "giving his right finger and thumb a gingerly lick," which is what a lot of writers would have said.