ut the latter in his
place. "You ought to come here often," he repeated to Shelton; "we have
a lot of very good young fellows"; and, with a touch of complacence, he
glanced around the dismal room. "There are not so many here tonight as
usual. Where are Toombs and Body?"

Shelton, too, looked anxiously around. He could not help feeling
sympathy with Toombs and Body.

"They 're getting slack, I'm afraid," said the little deep-eyed man. "Our
principle is to amuse everyone. Excuse me a minute; I see that Carpenter
is doing nothing." He crossed over to the man who had been drinking
coffee, but Shelton had barely time to glance at his opponent and try to
think of a remark, before the little man was back. "Do you know anything
about astronomy?" he asked of Shelton. "We have several very interested
in astronomy; if you could talk to them a little it would help."

Shelton made a motion of alarm.

"Please-no," said he; "I--"

"I wish you'd come sometimes on Wednesdays; we have most interesting
talks, and a service afterwards. We're always anxious to get new blood";
and his eyes searched Shelton's brown, rather tough-looking face, as
though trying to see how much blood there was in it. "Young Curly says
you 've just been around the world; you could describe your travels."

"May I ask," said Shelton, "how your club is made up?"

Again a look of complacency, and blessed assuagement, visited the little
man.

"Oh," he said, "we take anybody, unless there 's anything against them.
The Day Society sees to that. Of course, we shouldn't take anyone if
they were to report against them. You ought to come to our committee
meetings; they're on Mondays at seven. The women's side, too--"

"Thank you," said Shelton; "you 're very kind--"

"We should be pleased," said the little man; and his face seemed to
suffer more than ever. "They 're mostly young fellows here to-night, but
we have married men, too. Of course, we 're very careful about that," he
added hastily, as though he might have injured Shelton's
prejudices--"that, and drink, and anything criminal, you know."

"And do you give pecuniary assistance, too?"

"Oh yes," replied the little man; "if you were to come to our committee
meetings you would see for yourself. Everything is most carefully gone
into; we endeavour to sift the wheat from the chaff."

"I suppose," said Shelton, "you find a great deal of chaff?"

The little man smiled a suffering smile. The tw