fiefoe

One fourth of the book is a comedy of manners:

I hope you do not think me unduly vain with regard to this latter matter; it is just that one never knows when one might be obliged to give out that one is from Darlington Hall, and it is important that one be attired at such times in a manner worthy of one's position.
I followed this with a suitably modest smile to indicate without ambiguity that I had made a witticism, since I did not wish Mr Farraday to restrain any spontaneous mirth he felt out of a misplaced respectfulness.
(Tasked with conveying the birds & bees to his master's godson:) 'If I may come straight to the point, sir. You will notice the geese not far from us.' 'Geese?' He looked around a little bewildered. 'Oh yes. That's what they are.' 'And likewise the flowers and shrubs. This is not, in fact, the best time of year to see them in their full glory, but you will appreciate, sir, that with the arrival of spring, we will see a change - a very special sort of change - in these surroundings.'

The protagonist, somewhat touchingly, fails to know himself well:

It could simply be that a meaningless whim had suddenly overtaken me at that moment - but that is hardly a convincing way to account for such distinctly odd behaviour.
I do not mind confessing today .. that I did at times gain a sort of incidental enjoyment from these (sentimental love) stories. I did not perhaps acknowledge this to myself at the time...
Rather, it was as though one had available a never-ending number of days, months, years in which to sort out the vagaries of one's relationship with Miss Kenton... There was surely nothing to indicate at the time that such evidently small incidents would render whole dreams forever irredeemable.

"The Remains of the Day"