The Remains of the Day

Stevens arranges to meet Miss Kenton. He sits in the dining hall of a hotel in a town called Little Compton in Cornwall. With some time to kill before their meeting, he listens to the rain fall outside as he does not want “to surprise her by arriving any earlier” (148). He thinks back to that morning. While driving back to his stranded car, he talked with Dr. Carlisle. During the drive, Carlisle correctly guessed that Stevens is “a manservant of some sort” (150) rather than the gentlemen whom the locals had assumed him to be. Stevens is relieved. He tells Carlisle the truth that he is the butler at Darlington Hall and has met many famous politicians in this capacity. He regrets that the locals mistook his comments. Carlisle is amused. He notes that someone like Stevens seems like an aristocrat to the locals in the small town. They discuss Harry Smith and his “thoughts on the nature of dignity” (151). When they finally get back to Stevens’s car, they replenish the fuel, and Carlisle bids farewell to Stevens.

Stevens spent the morning driving down to Little Compton. During this time, he wonders why he failed to offer his condolences to her after her aunt’s death. He remembers being struck by “a fragment of a memory, a moment” (153) when he stood outside her door in a similar manner just a few months later. That was the evening, he remembers, when Lord Darlington’s godson Reginald Cardinal “unexpectedly” (154) arrived at Darlington Hall. Surprised by Cardinal’s arrival, Stevens goes to Miss Kenton to ask her to prepare a room. She agrees but reminds Stevens that tonight is her night off. She explains that she is meeting a male acquaintance and that the man has asked her “to marry him” (156). Miss Kenton has not yet decided how she will respond. Stevens thanks her for the information and leaves.

Lord Darlington and Cardinal sit down to dinner. Stevens stands by, overseeing the service. He notes the “odd atmosphere” (157): Lord Darlington is surprised by his godson’s arrival as he was planning to host a group of people that night, though he refuses to divulge their identities. After dinner, Cardinal and Lord Darlington retire to the smoking room. They argue with each other. Shortly afterward, Herr Ribbentrop arrives at the house and joins Lord Darlington in the discussion.

Later, Miss Kenton returns. She tells Stevens that she has decided to accept the marriage proposal and that she will be leaving Darlington Hall. Stevens congratulates her, but he cannot stay for long, as he must return to Lord Darlington. Miss Kenton is shocked that he has nothing more to say to her. Stevens insists that “events of a global significance are taking place in this house at this very moment” (158) and that he must do his utmost to help Lord Darlington achieve these ambitions. Before he can return upstairs, Miss Kenton tells him that she and her fiancé mock Stevens and his rigid personality and dedication to being a butler. Stevens politely excuses himself and returns to work.

Before Stevens can return to Lord Darlington, Cardinal ushers Stevens into a separate room. After pouring a brandy for Cardinal, Stevens listens to the man explain what is happening in Darlington Hall “at this very moment” (160). Lord Darlington has gathered Herr Ribbentrop with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary of Britain to try and make a peace agreement. He wants the Prime Minister to visit Nazi Germany. Cardinal reveals that Ribbentrop has manipulated Lord Darlington on behalf of Adolf Hitler to increase the influence of the Nazis in Britain. Cardinal believes the “Nazis are maneuvering him like a pawn” (162). They have taken advantage of Lord Darlington’s good nature for their nefarious purposes, turning the Englishman into “the single most useful pawn Herr Hitler has had in this country” (163). Stevens insists that he believes that Lord Darlington intends to create a “better understanding between nations” (164).

Stevens leaves Cardinal and fetches a bottle of port for the meeting hosted by Lord Darlington. While fetching the bottle, he encounters Miss Kenton. She apologizes for her earlier comments. He insists that he has already forgotten what she said and does not have time to stand around and talk. He fetches the bottle, and as he passes by her room, he again has the distinct impression that she is weeping “on the other side of that door” (165). Stevens is not sure why she is crying. He pauses for a moment but then returns upstairs. After he takes the port to Lord Darlington, he is struck by a sense of pride. He is happy to help the men about to change “the fate of our continent” (166).

Two days have passed since Stevens met with Miss Kenton. Since then, he has driven to Weymouth, a seaside town in Dorset. He sits on a bench on the pier and waits for the lights to illuminate. As he sits, he thinks about their meeting in the hotel in Little Compton, which took place “fully two days” (167) ago.

Miss Kenton meets Stevens at his hotel in Little Compton, much to Stevens’s surprise. He notes that she has “aged somewhat” (168) but gracefully, and he is very happy to see her again. Despite this, he notices she no longer has the energetic spark that once distinguished her. Nowadays, her facial expression is tinged with sadness. Their formal conversation takes “a more personal turn” (168), and they discuss the events of their lives since the last time they met. This discussion contains a shock for Stevens: though Miss Kenton’s letter had suggested that she was planning to separate from her husband, she has now changed her mind. They have reunited because her daughter Catherine is now pregnant. Miss Kenton tells Stevens that he should visit Catherine on his return to Darlington Hall.

Stevens tells Miss Kenton about the staffing issues at Darlington Hall. He describes life working for his new “genial employer” (169), Mr. Farraday, and mentions that Reginald Cardinal was killed in World War II. Miss Kenton asks about Lord Darlington, who sued a newspaper for libel after the war because the newspaper described him as a Nazi sympathizer. Lord Darlington lost the case, causing his reputation to be ruined. Stevens says that most people in Britain decided he was a traitor, and this caused Lord Darlington’s health to suffer.

After two hours of conversation, Miss Kenton must leave. They drive to a nearby bus stop, and while waiting for the bus, Stevens finally decides to ask a question that has been bothering him. He asks Miss Kenton why her letters often make her seem “rather unhappy” (172). Miss Kenton insists that her marriage is fine and that her husband does not mistreat her. However, she confesses that she did not love her husband for many years. During this period, when she fell out of love with him, she was indeed unhappy. The arrival of Catherine, the experience of the war, and the imminent arrival of their grandchild have rekindled her love for her husband. Despite this renewed romance, she admits that she occasionally wonders whether she made a “terrible mistake” (173) by accepting his proposal and admits that she may have done so as a ruse to provoke a reaction from Stevens. She confesses that, at one time, she imagined what her life would be like if she married Stevens. She dismisses the thought quickly, seeing no point in thinking about such hypotheticals.

Her comments shock Stevens into a realization. For the first time, he is willing to admit to himself that he is in love with Miss Kenton. He feels his heart “breaking” (173) when she speaks about a life they might have spent together. However, he pauses for a moment and then tells her she is right. Dwelling on the past does not help anyone. Stevens tells Miss Kenton to focus on her present and her family. The bus arrives, and she departs. As the bus pulls away, he sees the tears in her eyes.

Stevens sits on the bench on the pier, waiting for the lights. A man arrives and sits beside him, striking up a conversation. The man mentions that he once worked as a butler at a small house, and Stevens says he currently works as the butler at Darlington Hall. Noting the man’s reaction, Stevens describes life at “Darlington Hall in former days.” (175). He confesses that he dedicated his entire life to Lord Darlington, and even though he tries, he does not believe that he can serve Mr. Farraday to the same high standard as he does “not have a great deal more left to give” (176). The man notices that Stevens is becoming emotional. He offers a handkerchief to Stevens, who continues to talk.

While Lord Darlington made many mistakes, Stevens says, they were his mistakes to make. Conversely, Stevens cannot claim such an excuse. His mistakes were made because he trusted Lord Darlington to make them on their behalf. Looking back now, Stevens sees the lack of dignity in not having the opportunity to make his own mistakes. The man on the bench besides Stevens offers comforting thoughts. He warns Stevens not to look only to the past because doing so will not make him happy. Stevens tells the man he is correct and apologizes for his emotional outburst. Stevens says that he will make the most of the “remains of [his] day” (177). For Stevens, this means returning to Darlington Hall and learning to participate in the so-called banter that Mr. Farraday enjoys so much, which is “hardly an unreasonable duty for an employer to expect a professional to perform” (178). He hopes that if he learns how to joke by the time Mr. Farraday returns, he can offer his employer a pleasant surprise.