Epilogue Summary

The story picks up from the beginning before Charles' reminiscences about his life with the Marchmain family. Charles' assignment is to make Brideshead mansion habitable for his regiment and to establish officer quarters. Charles does not indicate that he is intimately familiar with Brideshead and allows himself to be shown around the mansion by the Quartering Commandant. Charles listens without comment as the Commandant describes the Chinese Drawing Room with one of Charles' painted murals as comparable to a room in a brothel. Charles is appalled by the vandalism inflicted on the mansion by the soldiers who have been here before. Even the majestic fountain in front of the mansion has been fenced in to prevent complete destruction but Charles can see the remnants of floating trash and cigarettes.

Charles excuses himself leaving a subordinate in charge of the operation and escapes to...