his waiting duties in the dining room, but otherwise the trolley enabled him to

accomplish a surprising amount. In fact, as the great challenge of the

conference drew nearer, an astonishing change seemed to come over my father. It

was almost as though some supernatural force possessed him, causing him to shed

twenty years; his face lost much of the sunken look of recent times, and he went

about his work with such youthful vigour that a stranger might have believed

there were not one but several such figures pushing trolleys about the corridors

of Darlington Hall.

 

As for Miss Kenton, I seem to remember the mounting tension of those days having

a noticeable effect upon- her. I recall, for instance, the occasion around that

time I happened to encounter her in the back corridor. The back corridor, which

serves as a sort of backbone to the staffs quarters of Darlington Hall, was

always a rather cheerless affair due to the lack of daylight penetrating its

considerable length. Even on a fine day, the corridor could be so dark that the

effect was like walking through a tunnel. On that particular occasion, had I not

recognized Miss Kenton's footsteps on the boards as she came towards me, I would

have been able to identify her only from her outline. I paused at one of the few

spots where a bright streak of light fell across the boards and, as she

approached, said: "Ah, Miss Kenton."

 

"Yes, Mr Stevens?"

 

"Miss Kenton, I wonder if I may draw your attention to the fact that the bed

linen for the upper floor will need to be ready by the day after tomorrow. "