House Steward Ken looks back on the days of a major restoration entrusted to him while the owner was away — a story of quiet command, backed by thirty years of experience.
Hello, everyone. This is Ken, a butler. I have, over the years, been entrusted with the running of many great houses. Today, within what is proper, I should like to tell you of one especially unforgettable piece of work among them.
At a certain residence, a major restoration became necessary while the owner was away on a long stay abroad. A building, left alone, will always fall into disrepair. To find that decay early, and to act before its value is lost — this is among the most important duties of one who keeps a house.
The management of the works during the absence was entrusted entirely to me. This is a very heavy trust. Precisely because the owner is not there, I make every judgement and bear every responsibility. Daily consultation with the craftsmen, management of the budget, watch over the schedule, and above all, never for a moment forgetting how precious this house is to the family. Every morning, I began the day by walking a round of the still-hushed hall, confirming that not one of the furnishings had altered.
Restoration is not simply mending what is broken. It is work that holds responsibility for both the time the family has spent in this house and the time they are yet to spend. So rather than merely returning it to as it was, I put my hand even to what would go unnoticed, giving my care that this house might greet the next season, the next generation, with ease. Within the budget, within the deadline, all that could be done.
In time the owner returned home, and standing at the entrance, stopped short and said, "Why, it has grown more beautiful than before I left." I merely bowed deeply. It is for that single phrase that I have done this for thirty years. Since then, my association with that residence has continued more than twenty years.
A residence is a second character — this is my creed. With quiet command, I shall keep setting in order all that is entrusted to me, and shall keep striving to offer our guests a comfortable space.
Having continued this work so long, there is something I feel keenly. To guard a house is, at once, to guard the building and to guard the time that flows within it. To be able to see both numbers and people — to keep both the eye that squares off with a restoration budget and the hand that strokes the furnishings in the morning hall — is, I believe, what leads to a long relationship.
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