simply being asked to reconsider his duties." And it was then, I believe, that

his lordship said as he looked down again into his volume and awkwardly fingered

an entry: "These errors may be trivial in themselves, Stevens, but you must

yourself realize their larger significance. Your father's days of dependability

are now passing. He must not be asked to perform tasks in any area where an

error might jeopardize the success of our forthcoming conference. "

 

"Indeed not, sir. I fully understand."

 

"Good. I'll leave you to think about it then, Stevens."

 

Lord Darlington, I should say, had actually witnessed my father's fall of a week

or so earlier. His lordship had been entertaining two guests, a young lady and

gentleman, in the summerhouse, and had watched my father's approach across the

lawn bearing a much welcome tray of refreshments. The lawn climbs a slope

several yards in front of the summerhouse, and in those days, as today, four

flagstones embedded into the grass served as steps by which to negotiate this

climb. It was in the vicinity of these steps that my father fell, scattering the

load on his tray - teapot, cups, saucers, sandwiches, cakes - across the area of

grass at the top of the steps. By the time I had received the alarm and gone

out, his lordship and his guests had laid my father on his side, a cushion and a

rug from the summerhouse serving as pillow and blanket. My father was

unconscious and his face looked an oddly grey colour. Dr Meredith had already

been sent for, but his lordship was of the' view that my father should be moved

out of the sun before the doctor's arrival; consequently, a bath-chair arrived