“Errors such as these which have occurred over the last few months have been, naturally enough, injurious to one’s self-respect, but then there is no reason to believe them to be the signs of anything more sinister than a staff shortage.  Not that a staff shortage is not significant in itself; but if Miss Kenton were indeed to return to Darlington Hall, such little slips , I am sure, would become a thing of the past.  Of course, one has to remember there is nothing stated specifically in Miss Kenton’s letter – which, incidentally, I reread last night up in my room before putting out the light – to indicate unambiguously her desire to return to her former position.  In fact, one has to accept the distinct possibility that one may have previously – perhaps though wishful thinking of a professional kind – exaggerated what evidence there was regarding such a desire on her part.  For I must say I was a little surprised last night at how difficult it was actually to point to any passage which clearly demonstrated her wish to return” (140).

Stevens contradicts what he said earlier statements about the trip, showing his insecurities and his unreliability as a narrator.  In the beginning, he tells us that the true reason he goes on the trip to view England is because he believes that Miss Kenton hints at wanting to return to Darlington Hall; however, now he explicitly states that “there is nothing stated specifically in [her] letter…to indicate unambiguously her desire to return to her former position.”  He also admits that it is difficult to “point to any passage which clearly demonstrated her wish to return,” showing that he lies to cover up his love for her.  Stevens says that his “wishful thinking of a professional kind” make him feel that she hints at her return.  Stevens’s wishful thinking was that she would return so Darlington Hall would run more smoothly; however, the other part of his wishful thinking was to see her because he has secretly loved her ever since they worked with each other in Darlington Hall.  Stevens always tells that his meetings with her are for professional reasons; however, he really goes to the meetings with her just to see her in person.  Stevens lies to hide his true reasons for his actions.  Now, the reader knows that he is really in love with Miss Kenton because whenever he tries to reassure the reader that his goes to see Miss Kenton for professional reasons, he is really hiding his love for her.  He also says that the small mistakes that the staff shortage would be eliminated if Miss Kenton were to return, showing how he secretly want Miss Kenton to come back, causing his first impression that she hinted at wanting to return to Darlington Hall.  He wishes that she would come back so that he could see her and there would be fewer problems in the running of Darlington Hall.  Stevens tries to hide that he wants to see her more often by making up excuses for seeing her, but fails to do so.  His needing to reassure the reader the he goes to see Miss Kenton for professional reasons shows his insecurities.  He denies that he loves her and tries to use the excuse of professionalism to hide his true motivations.  Stevens attempts to hide his true motives from everyone else by using his profession as an excuse to hide his insecurities, but by doing so, he actually bluntly shows everyone how insecure he is.