<div style="text-align: justify;">When Alexis reached the house, the old butler had tried hard to remember her name. He remembered faces and facts, but names were a problem as he got older. Yet, he remembered her, of course. She was Johnny’s girl, the one who lived in more in another country than in England.  Mrs. Maude hadn’t approved of her life style, he could remember that. Like any butler worth his salt, Joseph didn’t give his opinion, of course. And he liked all the children, no matter what paths they took in life. Miss Bess hadn’t had any of her own, so he knew she cared about them, even if she wasn’t too good at showing her feelings.<br/><br/>When the girl said her name, the man nodded. “Of course, Miss Alex. Excuse this old man. Of course I remember you. You used to come into the kitchen and try to convince Maggie that she had yet to give you your cup of chocolate”, he commented, remembering the past fondly as most elderly people did.<br/><br/>The man looked at the young man Alexis introduced. He remembered him, but had once again forgotten his name. “Of course”, he replied. “How do you do, sir?”, the old man greeted, politely. “Please, do come in. Miss Bess is making sure everything is in order”, he completed, waiting for the couple to get away from the door so he could close it.<br/><br/>As soon as he had finished settling Alexis and her boyfriend in, the doorbell rang once again. With a groan - his old legs were getting tired -, the man went to the door. While he did so, Aunt Bess emerged from the kitchen. “Oh, dear”, she greeted, trying not to start crying. “Thank you for coming”, the woman added, turning to Travis. “I’m sorry we must meet again at such a moment. Are you tired? Would you like to go up to your room? The funeral will be at three, so you all have time to rest a little”, she explained, trying to focus in the practical aspects.<br/><br/>Opening the door, Joseph looked at both Matt and Emily for a moment, before stepping back in. “Yes, sir, I am Joseph. Welcome back”, he greeted, keeping his opinions to himself. “How do you do, Miss Emily?”, the man completed, his old school politeness showing in his behavior, even if he thought these young people too modern for his liking. Butlers shouldn’t have opinions, after all.<br/><br/>Before Joseph could even close the door, another couple arrived at the doorstep. Pam looked very correct, as always, despite her clear distress, and her husband looked very… much like a sailor, also as always. “I’m so sorry”, Pamela started apologizing. “We got caught up after a crash on the way here, I’m really sorry”. After this explanation, she stepped forward, letting her husband stay behind and looking around at the gathered relatives. “Thank you”, she murmured, looking at both cousins. It really meant a lot for her to see them in there, at least this one time.<br/><br/>“I…”, Pamela’s voice trailed off. Aunt Bess, who knew Pam would feel better if she had something to do, turned to her niece. “Why don’t you take everyone to their rooms? You know the house, and I have to get everything ready for breakfast. It will be served when you are ready”.<br/><br/>With a sigh of relief, Pamela offered a sad smile to Matt, Alexis, and their companions. “Please, come on upstairs. I think we all need some time to collect our thoughts before we start behaving normally again”.<br/><br/>Despite her comments, she addressed both Travis and Emily while leading the group to the staircase. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. And nice meeting you”, she offered them both, hoping that was enough for now.</div>