I know there was some discussion of Chamberlayne's status recently on the P&P Board, but I raise it again to take issue with one of David Shapard's annotations. He says

"Chamberlayne: a servant. Use of his last name indicates he is an upper servant, most likely a butler."

Now IMO there is no evidence for this statement, and some to the contrary. Use of the last name could just as well indicate that he is one of the officers - Lydia, in the same monologue, says, "When Denny, and Wickham, and Pratt ... came in they did not know him in the least." Denny & Co are certainly not servants. Moreover, a butler had set duties and quite a high status below stairs. These duties did not include taking part in your mistress' practical jokes at the sacrifice of your own dignity and exposing yourself to the derision of your subordinates. Colonel Forster, who is in on the joke, might not want to risk his butler resigning on the spot when told he had to dress up as a woman. A foolish young officer, on the other hand, might see it as a very amusing prank to play on the others, and could even be introduced as his own sister come to visit him. What say you all?