2 Brunton the Butler

Chapter 2 Brunton the Butler "Richard Brunton was extremely good at his job," Musgrave told me, "and he received praise from all who visited Hurlstone. With a man of his gifts —he could speak several languages and was a fine musician—it was perhaps surprising that he was satisfied with being a mere butler. Yet he'd been at Hurlstone for twenty years and seemed in no hurry to move on. "He was married to the housekeeper, who had been there for almost as long as him. Sadly, she died after a short illness last year. A few months ago, he became engaged to Rachel Howells, our second housemaid. Soon after that, however, he dropped her for Janet Tregellis, the daughter of our head gamekeeper.

"Rachel's a good-natured young woman, but can be rather emotional. She took the break-up very badly and cried for days. After that, whenever I saw her around the house, she looked like a dark-eyed shadow of her former self. "That was our first drama at Hurlstone. The second one was far worse, and it began with the downfall and dismissal of Richard Brunton. "As I've said, he was an intelligent man. And this intelligence turned out to be his ruin, because it made him curious about matters that did not concern him. I wouldn't have had any idea what he was up to if it hadn't been for a cup of black

coffee I foolishly drank after dinner last Thursday night. "Because of the coffee, I couldn't sleep. By two in the morning, still feeling restless, I lit a candle, planning to continue with the novel I'd been reading. The book, however, wasn't by my bed because I'd left it in the billiard room. "So, I put on my dressing gown and went to fetch it. In order to reach the billiard room, I had to descend a flight of stairs and then walk along a passage that took me past the library and the gun room.

"You can imagine my surprise when I looked down this corridor and saw a glimmer of light coming from the open door of the library. "I had distinctly remembered switching off the lamp and closing the door before going to bed. Naturally, I assumed we had been visited by burglars. "Many of the walls at Hurlstone are decorated with the weapons of my ancestors, which I was most grateful for in this instance. I put down my candle and helped myself to a large battle-ax. Feeling this sturdy old implement in my hands, I

felt a little more confident about facing the intruder. I crept on tiptoe down the passage and peeped in through the open door. "Instead of a thief, I was shocked to see Brunton the butler in there, sitting fully dressed in an armchair. The only light was provided by a small taper on the edge of the table. Its feeble glow revealed what looked like a map spread upon his knee, which he was studying with great concentration. "I stood there in the doorway, dumb with astonishment and unsure how to react. Brunton was the most trusted member of our staff. I tried to think of possible explanations for his actions— some reason why he might need to visit the library in the middle of the night. Of course, I could think of none.

"All of a sudden, Brunton rose from his chair and went to a large bureau standing against the wall. Producing a key from somewhere, he unlocked one of the drawers and began searching through its contents. After finding the document he was looking for, he carried it back to the table. He placed it beside the taper and began to examine it alongside the map, his eyes flitting constantly between the two.