occurrence and had advanced swiftly to remove the offending item. I may in fact

have done so a little too swiftly on account of my disturbance, for Mr Farraday

gave a small start, muttering: "Ah, Stevens."

 

I had continued to proceed swiftly out of the room, returning without undue

delay bearing a satisfactory fork. As I advanced again upon the table - and a Mr

Farraday now apparently absorbed in his newspaper - it occurred to me I might

slip the fork on to the tablecloth quietly without disturbing my employer's

reading. However, the possibility had already occurred to me that Mr Farraday

was simply feigning indifference in order to minimize my embarrassment, and such

a surreptitious delivery could be interpreted as complacency on my part towards

my error - or worse, an attempt to cover it up.

 

I This was why, then, I decided it appropriate to put the fork down on to the

table with a certain emphasis, causing my employer to start a second time, look

up and mutter again: "Ah, Stevens."

 

Errors such as these which have occurred over the last few months have been,

naturally enough, injurious to one's self-respect, but then there is no reason

to believe them to be the signs of anything more sinister than a staff shortage.

Not that a staff shortage is not significant in itself; but if Miss Kenton were

indeed to return to Darlington Hall, such little slips, I am sure, would become

a thing of the past. Of course, one has to remember there is nothing stated

specifically in Miss Kenton's letter - which, incidentally, I reread last night

up in my room before putting out the light - to indicate unambiguously her