Alternate Ending To The Butler Dialectical Journal

It's not as though Mr. Quade was surprised by the butler's reactions to his somewhat unconventional approach. But he was watching the man very closely to be sure, getting the measure of him, seeing if he would flee the room at first sight of something unusual, or whether he would stay, dutiful as ever.

No, it wasn't surprising that the man stayed. But Mr. Quade made no secret of how pleased he was.

"And you do well to show her that respect." It more or less went without saying - that's in the man's job description, after all - but still, it was remarkable how easily the rather unusual houseguest switched back to mundane topics of conversation, even with the occult circle still glowing behind them. "Unconventional, yes, but then, I do understand that I have arrived here at a, shall we say, unusual time. No doubt you and the rest of the staff are stretched to the breaking point, given the present circumstances." …show more content…
You need me, whether you like it or not.

But he was not unkind. He listened to the butler's concerns, and he nodded. "Yes, perhaps that is for the best. Your area of expertise is your mistress' habits, mine more... exotic matters. Surely we can find the right approach to resolve this unpleasant situation."

There was tilt of the head in the general direction of the lady of the house's door. "But it needs to be done quickly. The longer that thing is permitted to be in her presence, the... well. Best not to speak of it in too much detail."

And if that implication wasn't clear before, it certainly was then.

"You know her habits, Mr. Gilchrist. Of that I am quite sure. We will need to find the soonest opportunity to separate her from the hound, so that we might deal with this issue