The time and the bells always stand in their way, but what ship would they be without it. The officers go about their duties, Crozier following, and Jopson sets to making right the great cabin. Not without help, however. It's rare he wields what authority he has over the other stewards aboard, but the state of the room and their convenient disappearance won't do.
When they don't immediately report following the festivities, he makes his way belowdecks, gathering them all.
"I'm afraid that your attendance to other tasks has left the great cabin in disarray and your officers' needs neglected. Fortunately I was able to attend both the captain and your charges without your presence, and they were none the wiser."
He says it with the warmth and easy relief of someone solving a problem last minute, but the other stewards straighten under his attention - rarely, so rarely, does Jopson make so blatant a mark of their faults. Each officer is different and requires different attentions, but this? Unacceptable.
The great cabin takes an hour to tidy and put back to rights, and another hour to have the floors scrubbed clean by hand, and yet a third hour to be polished. He sets one on cleaning the windows as well, shining anything of metal in the room - it is meant to be remarkable and impressive this room.
The bells call for dinner and Jopson sends them all, and stands as they make their apologies. He apologizes to Phillips, that he won't have time to spare at the meal today - and takes the captain's food and slips away. There are whispers through the meal of Jopson's kind but eerie punishment, meted out with a calm and level head, but the disappointment felt in magnitudes. It doesn't go unnoticed that even managing the cleanliness of the cabin and the other stewards, none of his own tasks have gone without care. Laundry is done, inventory marked and checked, schedules made and announced - a force to be reckoned with.
In the great cabin, Jopson refills Crozier's glass midway through the meal.
"If you see anything out of sorts sir, I hope you'll tell me. I've checked over everything twice, but I've no doubt there's something askew."
no subject
When they don't immediately report following the festivities, he makes his way belowdecks, gathering them all.
"I'm afraid that your attendance to other tasks has left the great cabin in disarray and your officers' needs neglected. Fortunately I was able to attend both the captain and your charges without your presence, and they were none the wiser."
He says it with the warmth and easy relief of someone solving a problem last minute, but the other stewards straighten under his attention - rarely, so rarely, does Jopson make so blatant a mark of their faults. Each officer is different and requires different attentions, but this? Unacceptable.
The great cabin takes an hour to tidy and put back to rights, and another hour to have the floors scrubbed clean by hand, and yet a third hour to be polished. He sets one on cleaning the windows as well, shining anything of metal in the room - it is meant to be remarkable and impressive this room.
The bells call for dinner and Jopson sends them all, and stands as they make their apologies. He apologizes to Phillips, that he won't have time to spare at the meal today - and takes the captain's food and slips away. There are whispers through the meal of Jopson's kind but eerie punishment, meted out with a calm and level head, but the disappointment felt in magnitudes. It doesn't go unnoticed that even managing the cleanliness of the cabin and the other stewards, none of his own tasks have gone without care. Laundry is done, inventory marked and checked, schedules made and announced - a force to be reckoned with.
In the great cabin, Jopson refills Crozier's glass midway through the meal.
"If you see anything out of sorts sir, I hope you'll tell me. I've checked over everything twice, but I've no doubt there's something askew."