I had had in the meantime more opportunity to observe the house; it was taller

than it was broad, comprising four floors, with ivy covering much of the front

right up to the gables. I could see from its windows, however, that at least

half of it was dust-sheeted. I remarked on this to the man once he had finished

with the radiator and closed the bonnet. '

 

"A shame really," he said. "It's a lovely old house. Truth is, the Colonel's

trying to sell the place off. He ain't got much use for a house this size now."

 

I could not help inquiring then how many staff were employed there, and I

suppose I was hardly surprised to be told there was only himself and a cook who

came in each evening. He was, it seemed, butler, valet, chauffeur and general

cleaner. He had been the Colonel's batman in the war, he explained; they had

been in Belgium together when the Germans had invaded and they had been together

again for the Allied landing. Then he regarded me carefully and said:

 

"Now I got it. I couldn't make you out for a while, but now I got it. You're one

of them top-notch butlers. From one of them big posh houses."

 

When I told him he was not so far off the mark, he continued:

 

"Now I got it. Couldn't make you out for a while, see, cause you talk almost

like a gentleman. And what with you driving an old beauty like this" - he

gestured to the Ford - "I thought at first, here's a really posh geezer. And so

you are, guv. Really posh, I mean. I never learnt any of that myself, you see.