Day Three, Evening, Moscombe, near Tavistock, Devon
- Stevens turns his attention to the question of Darlington's anti-Semitism.
- Stevens recalls that with frequent visits in 1932 from Mrs. Carolyn Barnet, a woman associated with Mosley's British Fascists, Darlington seemed to make anti-Jewish comments more frequently.
- One day Darlington called Stevens in and told him to fire the two Jewish maids on staff.
- Stevens then met up with Miss Kenton for their daily meeting over cocoa and informed her that she had to let the maids go.
- Miss Kenton was furious and threatened to resign. But she didn't—a fact that Stevens joked about.
- A year after the incident, Darlington asked Stevens to find the two Jewish maids in order to compensate them for a decision that he regretted.
- Stevens told Miss Kenton, thinking she would be pleased with Darlington's change of heart. Instead she took him to task for not commiserating with her when she had to fire the two maids the year before.
- Stevens then remembers that after the Jewish maids left, they hired a maid named Lisa, who took a long time to train. Lisa ended up running away with a footman nine months later.
- Stevens returns to the present, where he is staying at a cottage belonging to Mr. and Mrs. Taylor. After getting lost outside Tavistock, his car runs out of gas. He wanders down a path until he comes across the Taylors' cottage, and they kindly offer to take him in for the night.
- Stevens flashes back to the years 1935 and 1936, when his friendly, professional relationship with Miss Kenton underwent a dramatic change.
- He remembers one incident when she came into his pantry and caught him reading a (gasp) romance novel.
- It was kind of a heated moment between them, and really embarrassing for Stevens.
- Around the same time, Miss Kenton began to take more frequent days off and to receive regular mail. She mentioned that she was meeting up with a former colleague, a butler, from her previous job at Granchester Lodge.
- Stevens wanted to discuss an upcoming visit from some important people from Scotland, but Miss Kenton said she was too tired. Stevens apologized and decided they should stop having their evening meetings altogether.
- Around the same time, Miss Kenton learned about the death of her aunt. Stevens, true to his uptight form, did not offer her any sympathy but instead made a few remarks about dishes not being put away properly.
- Stevens's thoughts turn to the events of the night. After dinner at the Taylors, a number of neighbors came by, all of whom seemed eager to meet Stevens. One of the most vocal was Harry Smith.
- In conversation, Stevens realizes too late that the neighbors have mistaken him for some dignitary. He is too embarrassed to correct them. The conversation turns to politics, and Stevens becomes even more uncomfortable.
- When Dr. Carlisle arrives, Stevens excuses himself from the table.
- Alone again, Stevens remembers an incident from 1935. Mr. Spencer, Darlington's guest, had asked Stevens some questions about politics and finance, to which Stevens merely replied, "I'm very sorry, sir, but I am unable to be of assistance on this matter."
- Mr. Spencer had declared Stevens's response proof that the ordinary man was incapable of handling lofty political issues. Darlington later apologized to Stevens for Mr. Spencer's behavior.