The Remains of the Day Chapter 7 Summary

Day Six, Evening, Weymouth

  • The chapter opens with Stevens on a pier in Weymouth, two days after his meeting with Miss Kenton. It's almost evening, and people have gathered on the pier to watch it be lit up.
  • Stevens thinks back to his meeting with Miss Kenton.
  • Instead of waiting for Stevens to meet her, Miss Kenton came to Stevens's hotel. They settled down in the tea lounge to talk.
  • Over the course of two hours, Stevens learned that Miss Kenton was back with her husband, Mr. Benn. She asked him to stop by and visit her daughter.
  • They chatted about old times. Mr. Cardinal's death during World War II came up, as well as a libel action that Darlington unsuccessfully brought against a newspaper.
  • Stevens offered to drive Miss Kenton to the bus station and waited with her for her bus. He asked her if she was happy. Miss Kenton replied that while she was unhappy at first, she had grown to love her husband and her life after Darlington Hall.
  • Back on the pier, the lights have come on, and a crowd of people cheer.
  • Stevens and the man sitting next to him on a bench strike up a conversation. Stevens expresses his worry that he didn't have any dignity after all, despite his years of loyal service to Lord Darlington. The man tells him not to worry about the past and to enjoy the present.
  • Stevens is consoled by the remarks. He notices a group of people laughing together and decides to try harder at bantering with Mr. Farraday.