Elizabeth: Part XVII

(Story begins here.)

Anton threw open the dining room door and stepped in boldly, possibly trying to signal to himself that it was time to cast aside all the thoughts that he had been nursing till then. The housekeeper was particularly sharp, and Anton was sure that he would accidentally telegraph his doubts on everything that was presented to him had he still kept all the thoughts in his mind. In the dining room, Mr Higgins stood next to the same head of the long table, waiting for him. When he saw Anton entering with such gusto, Mr Higgins gave a slight bow and said simply ``Welcome, Master Anton. Your lunch is ready and will be served shortly.''

Anton took his place at the head of the table, realising for the umpteenth time how empty it felt when there were no visitors of any sort who were there to dine with him. He started to think about inviting his own friends from outside of the county to come over as guests, but quickly arrested himself when he realised that his thoughts could be betraying him at that moment, though his worries were all in vain because the housekeeper had taken leave of the dining room to enter the kitchen to obtain the victuals that were prepared for the luncheon. That was the main difference between breakfast and the other two meals; the first one was always prepared and spread out on the table even before Anton entered, some kind of informal gesture since breakfast was taken to be a kind of private meal, whereas lunch and dinner always began with an empty table and Mr Higgins bringing in each course of the meal one by one, removing the plates and cutlery only when that particular course is already done. In the beginning of it all, Anton felt that the practice was weird beyond comprehension, particularly since the same procedure was followed even when he did not have any guests joining him for a meal. He had brought it up to Mr Higgins before, but the latter simply gave a bow and said that regulations and traditions were to be obeyed and that there would be no deviations to it, unless of course if the board of trustees were to send their approval, something that was nearly impossible to obtain considering that Anton had no clue where nor who the board of trustees were.

The housekeeper kept up his duty of bringing in food and taking away empty plates throughout the entire luncheon, and it was nearly one when the meal itself was over and done with. By that time, Anton felt so satiated that he could think of nothing except to go out for a walk about the manor's grounds as a way of working off the food that he had eaten.

(Story continues here.)