And yet what precisely is this ‘greatness’？ Just where， or in what， does it lie？ I am quite aware it would take a far wiser head than mine to answer such a question， but if I were forced to hazard a guess（斗胆猜测）， I would say that it is the very lack of obvious drama or spectacle that sets the beauty of our land apart. What is pertinent（相关的）is the calmness of that beauty， its sense of restraint（克制）. It is as though the land knows of its own beauty， of its own greatness， and feels no need to shout it. In comparison， the sorts of sights offered in such places as Africa and America， though undoubtedly very exciting， would， I am sure， strike the objective viewer as inferior on account of their unseemly（不得体的，不相宜的）demonstrativeness（感情外露）.
　　This whole question is very akin to（类似于）the question that has caused much debate in our profession over the years： what is a ‘great’ butler？ I can recall many hours of enjoyable discussion on this topic around the fire of the servants’ hall at the end of a day. You will notice I say ‘what’ rather than ‘who’ is a great butler； for there was actually no serious dispute as to the identity of the men who set the standards amongst our generation. That is to say， I am talking of the likes of Mr Marshall of Charleville House， or Mr Lane of Bridewood. If you have ever had the privilege of meeting such men， you will no doubt know of the quality they possess to which I refer. But you will no doubt also understand what I mean when I say it is not at all easy to define just what this quality is.

“男管家”（butler）是英國贵族传统文化中最具代表性的职业，以对主人的绝对忠诚和敬业著称。一战后这个职业随着大英帝国的衰落而日渐式微。2017年诺贝尔文学奖获得者、日裔英国小说家石黑一雄（Kazuo Ishiguru）在《长日将尽》（The Remains of the Day）这部小说中以其独到的、细腻优雅的文字，叙述了主人公对自己30年的男管家职业历程的回顾和对人生价值的思考。达林顿官邸的美国新主人法拉第先生建议男管家史蒂文斯去附近的乡村放松几天，于是史蒂文斯驾着福特车开始了六天的旅程，他沿途经过的英格兰乡村的美景使他想起昔日达林顿的辉煌以及大英帝国的殖民霸主地位。史蒂文斯以恪尽职守的父亲为榜样，竭尽全力成为一个父亲所期望的杰出的男管家。甚至当父亲累倒在病床上时，史蒂文斯都没顾得上与他临终告别。一路上他对“杰出的男管家”应具备什么样的职业素养进行了深刻的思考。在他看来，优雅的举止和风度、超强的语言和组织能力都不足以使其成为一个“杰出的男管家”。那么，什么样的男管家才能称得上是“杰出的男管家”呢？

　　Incidentally， now that I come to think further about it， it is not quite true to say there was no dispute as to who were the great butlers. What I should have said was that there was no serious dispute among professionals of quality who had any discernment（眼力，洞察力）in such matters. Of course， the servants’ hall at Darlington Hall， like any servants’ hall anywhere， was obliged to receive employees of varying degrees of intellect and perception， and I recall many a time having to bite my lip while some employee—and at times， I regret to say， members of my own staff—excitedly eulogized（称赞）the likes of， say， Mr Jack Neighbours. 　　My father， as I say， came of a generation mercifully free of such confusions of our professional values. And I would maintain that for all his limited command of English and his limited general knowledge， he not only knew all there was to know about how to run a house， he did in his prime come to acquire that ‘dignity in keeping with his position’， as the Hayes Society puts it. If I try， then， to describe to you what I believe made my father thus distinguished， I may in this way convey my idea of what ‘dignity’ is.

　　There was a certain story my father was fond of repeating over the years. I recall listening to him tell it to visitors when I was a child， and then later， when I was starting out as a footman（男仆）under his supervision.
　　The story was an apparently true one concerning a certain butler who had travelled with his employer to India and served there for many years maintaining amongst the native staff the same high standards he had commanded in England. One afternoon， evidently， this butler had entered the dining room to make sure all was well for dinner， when he noticed a tiger languishing（變得衰弱，失去活力）beneath the dining table. The butler had left the dining room quietly， taking care to close the doors behind him， and proceeded calmly to the drawing room where his employer was taking tea with a number of visitors. There he attracted his employer’s attention with a polite cough， then whispered in the latter’s ear： ‘I’m very sorry， sir， but there appear to be a tiger in the dining room. Perhaps you will permit the twelvebores（12口径猎枪）to be used？’
　　And according to legend， a few minutes later， the employer and his guests heard three gun shots. When the butler reappeared in the drawing room some time afterwards to refresh the teapots， the employer had inquired if all was well.
　　‘Perfectly fine， thank you， sir，’ had come the reply.‘Dinner will be served at the usual time and I am pleased to say there will be no discernible（可辨识的）traces left of the recent occurrence by that time.’
　　This last phrase—‘no discernible traces left of the recent occurrence by that time’—my father would repeat with a laugh and shake his head admiringly.