Ours not to reason why

We have had our first go of Tony as houseman. Some obscure sense of propriety caused him to turn up wearing a tie and to don a striped apron, which worried me a bit, but actually, he’s done a very good job. One has to make allowances for the military mindset: orders issued in a clear, firm voice are obeyed without question, cheerfully, promptly, and in a soldierlike fashion, but there is an absolute lack of initiative. Ours not to reason why, ours but to do the vacuuming without making a fuss, is the principle. Fortunately, I had thought about this in advance, and issued a four page document of the most painful explicitness: Sitting room: Dust, if dust is visible. Mop floor (using a damp rather than wet mop), vacuum rugs, drawing room: Dust, if dust is visible. Mop floor (using a damp rather than wet mop), vacuum rugs, etcetera. He was perfectly happy with this, and beetled about conscientiously, carrying it about and ticking off the jobs one by one. The house is now quite clean, and the ironing has been done. There is still snow, but it’s rather soggy, so all in all things aren’t too bad.