fashioned hall chandelier, and favored us with a perfunctory stare.
"New members, eh!" he grunted, and turned away as though it were a
matter of entire indifference to him. But Indiman spoke up quickly.

"Pardon me," he began, with the sweetest suavity. "I was afraid for
the moment that we had got into the wrong place. This is the--" a
delicately suggestive pause.

"The Utinam Club," supplied the other.

"Exactly," said Indiman, in a most relieved tone. "It IS the
Utinam, Thorp," he continued, turning to me. Now I had not the
smallest notion of what the Utinam Club might be, consequently I
preserved a discreet silence. Indiman addressed himself again to
our ungracious cicerone.

"A snug little box you have here, Mr, er--"

"Hoyt, sir--Colman Hoyt."

"Ah, yes--of North Pole fame. You are the man--"

"Who has led four expeditions to reach it, and failed as often.
That is MY title to fame. And also my qualification for membership
in the Utinam Club," he added, grimly.

"Ah, yes--the discovery of the Pole. A unique and delightful idea
in clubdom--eh, Thorp? To succeed--"

"No, sir; to FAIL," interrupted Mr. Hoyt, rudely. "What the devil