"Oh, really, Mr Stevens."

 

"Yes, Miss Kenton, just a small matter. I happened to be walking past the

kitchen yesterday when I heard you calling to someone named William."

 

"Is that so, Mr Stevens?"

 

"Indeed, Miss Kenton. I did hear you call several times for 'William'. May I ask

who it was you were addressing by that name?"

 

"Why, Mr Stevens, I should think I was addressing your father. There are no

other Williams in this house, I take it."

 

"It's an easy enough error to have made," I said with a small smile. "May I ask

you in future, Miss Kenton, to address my father as 'Mr Stevens'? If you are

referring to him to a third party, then you may wish to call him 'Mr Stevens

senior' to distinguish him from myself. I'm most grateful, Miss Kenton."

 

With that I turned back to my papers. But to my surprise, Miss Kenton did not

take her leave. "Excuse me, Mr Stevens," she said after a moment.

 

"Yes, Miss Kenton."

 

"I am afraid I am not quite clear what you are saying. I have in the past been

accustomed to addressing under-servants by their Christian names and saw no