Several weeks have passed since I happened upon Miss Kenton wearing the evening gown and I have scarcely ever thought about it. I could, however, not fail to notice that no new cushions made out of that shimmering red cloth had appeared around the house.

Today something happened, though, which made me recall that incident again.

In the afternoon Lord Darlington summoned me to the library. When I entered he made a great show of perusing the backs of a row of books and so it was apparent to me that, whatever he wanted to impart to me, he was not happy about it.

"Ah, Stevens," he said after some moments. "There is something I have to tell you."

"Yes, my Lord?"

"Mr Cardinal and his wife will visit us in five weeks time. The weekend of the 21st."

"Very well, Sir."

"Yes. It's their wedding anniversary. Unfortunately their house is being refurbished at the moment, and so I have decided to give a celebration for them, invite some of their friends over the weekend."

He paused and I waited for him to go on, a bit bewildered. Nothing of what Lord Darlington had told me so far merited his nervousness.

"The thing is," he finally said, "Mrs Cardinal seems to have very specific wishes. In fact she wants to have a fancy dress party."

"I see." This still was not so extraordinary. While his Lordship is not partial to this sort of entertainment, I know that it is common in other houses.

"Yes. I talked to them, and she is quite enthusiastic about it. Well, the point is, Stevens, that, according to her, it would be very important for the whole spirit of the event that everyone is in costume. Including the servants."

"Oh." It took me a few seconds to digest this. "I understand, Sir."

He sighed. "I know this will cause you a lot of trouble."

"Not at all, Sir, we will manage."

He smiled. "Very good, I expected nothing else from you. Listen, perhaps you might be able to use some of the old clothes stored in the attic? And obviously there will be a budget for any expenses you might incur." He turned back to the bookshelf. "Well, Stevens, I will inform you as soon as I have more details."

"Yes, Sir." And I left.

I think it is quite understandable that this news alarmed me somewhat. And even though I tried not to show it, it seems that I was so preoccupied with Lord Darlington's words and their ramifications that I was not able to hide from Miss Kenton that something was on my mind. She is very perceptive about these things.

It was when we met tonight in her parlour for our usual session over cocoa. I had been staring into the fire for some time when her voice disturbed my reveries.

"Mr Stevens, what's troubling you?"

For a moment I thought about deflecting her question, but I would have to tell her eventually, and there was no real reason why I should not do so now. So I turned back to face her and said, "His Lordship informed me today that in five weeks time, on the weekend of the 21st, he will give a costume party to celebrate Mr Cardinal's wedding anniversary."

Her face lit up with what can only be described as excitement. It seemed that Miss Kenton had nothing against fancy dress parties. "What an unusual idea," she exclaimed. "I don't think we have ever had anything like this."

I shook my head. "No, we have not. His Lordship is not partial to this kind of...entertainment."

The corner of her mouth twitched in a wry smile. "I take it you are not very partial to 'this kind of entertainment' yourself, Mr Stevens?"

I huffed. "That hardly matters, Miss Kenton. If his Lordship wants to give such a party, we will do our best to support him."

"Of course we will." But there was still a mischievous sparkle in her eyes and I was wondering if it hadn't been a mistake to tell her.

Still, I could not stop now, so I went on, "The thing is, Mrs Cardinal seems to insist that not only the guests dress up in costumes, but that the servants join in as well – so as not to disrupt the whole atmosphere."

Her eyebrows shot up. "That's unusual." She was quiet for a few moments. "Oh, I see."

"What do you see, Miss Kenton?" I could not help asking.

She looked me straight in the eyes. "I see why you are troubled by this."

"Do you?" I replied and glanced down at my cup of cocoa.

"Yes. You are worried that, as soon as the staff sheds their usual uniforms, they'll also forget who they are. That they'll forget their proper place and duty."

"You are very perceptive, Miss Kenton," I said to my cup of cocoa. "I was indeed worrying about something like this."

She was silent and after a while I looked up again. There was a musing expression on her face. "Are you familiar with the concept of carnival, Mr Stevens?" She asked eventually.

"I think so," I replied, surprised. "It's a catholic custom, isn't it?"

She nodded. "Yes, but I read that parts of it go back to ancient pagan festivals. Anyway, as I understand it one of its original functions was to provide a safe outlet for rebellious feelings. If I remember correctly, masquerading and a reversal of social roles were encouraged for a time so that after that the social hierarchy was stable for another year."

I raised an eyebrow. I know that Miss Kenton is an avid reader, but it always surprises me just how eclectic her reading is. "I fail to see how this is supposed to make me feel better."

She smiled. "Well, what I want to say is that perhaps it's not all bad to have such an event, once in a while. And honestly, I don't think that any of our staff will really forget his or her place and role." She reached for her cup of cocoa, not looking at me. "I know what a great importance you attribute to proper clothing, Mr Stevens. And I agree with you. But I don't think you have much to worry about."

I bristled. After all correct attire is of supreme important in service. A servant's uniform is an integral part of his person, telling the whole world and also himself who he is. It's like armour, shielding him in many ways, determining how people react to him. As soon as you shed that, it is much harder to keep up a professional bearing, to maintain dignity. I was a little surprised that Miss Kenton, who upholds such a high level of service, seemed not as troubled as I was. And while I was searching for a reply, I had to think of that afternoon when I had surprised her in her room, wearing that evening gown. And certainly that was a point in my favour, for this event had clearly shown how a sudden change of attire can affect those who witness it. I could, however, hardly tell her that. And I also had no reason to believe that, merely by putting on that dress, she'd also put on airs. She is not the type for that. So I let it rest.

She was looking at me in a guarded way, probably expecting a sharp reply. But somehow by that point I no longer felt like it, so I only said, "Well, Miss Kenton, I still believe that the right attire is paramount for a servant. But I hope you are right, in this case."

She smiled. "I hope so, too. Might I suggest something, Mr Stevens?"

"Of course."

"I'd let the servants meet earlier than usual for your pep-talk. And they should already wear their costumes. They will be excited about dressing up, but if they see each other early enough they will have the time to grow accustomed to their own changed appearance, and to that of their fellow-servants."

"I see. Yes, thank you Miss Kenton, I think that is a very good idea."

"I'm glad you like it. Now, about the practicalities of these costumes..."

And we went on to discuss how we might procure them. When I told her that Lord Darlington had given permission to use the old clothes stored in the attic, a thought came to me. "Do you still have that evening dress his Lordship gave to you?" I asked and took a sip of cocoa.

"Yes." She glanced down at her cup. "I could not bring myself to undo it."

"You might wear it at the party."

But she shook her head. "No, not with Lord Darlington present. It would be inappropriate, don't you think?"

She was quite right, it would have been presumptuous to wear the dress of his dead wife in his Lordship's presence. To be honest, I was surprised that I had not realised that myself.

"But what about you?" Miss Kenton asked, tilting her head, and there was a teasing glimmer in her eyes. "Have you thought about a costume yet?"

I huffed. "I have not yet had time for this."

She grinned. "Well, I'm looking forward to it."

"Really, Miss Kenton, it seems to me you're quite enthusiastic about this whole business."

Her chin rose. "And why should I not? It's a change, for once, something to break the routine. That's good, isn't it?"

I glanced down at my cocoa. "If you say so, Miss Kenton."

When I looked up again I found her examining me closely. My words seemed to have placated her, though. "Yes, Mr Stevens, I'm looking forward to it," she said. "I like the excitement, the novelty and the whole business of dressing up. And what's so bad about wanting to be someone else for an evening?"

She was looking at me quite insistently, and somehow I could not think of anything to say. After some moments of silence I switched the subject and we soon finished our discussion. I left then, wondering for the rest of the evening what on earth I should choose as a costume.