exclusive club. Accordingly, the next morning he addressed
letters to those friends, requesting them to undertake the matter of his
election, with the result, it may here be mentioned, that about three
weeks later he received a communication from the secretary of the club,
intimating his enrolment, and requesting the payment of his entrance fee
and first subscription. This matter having been attended to, Jack next
addressed a letter to Senor Montijo's agent, making an appointment with
him for the afternoon; and then went out to interview his tailor and
outfitter, for the purpose of procuring a suitable outfit.

Then it occurred to him that for the especial work which the new yacht
was required to do she would need a first-rate crew, every man of whom
must be absolutely to be depended upon under all circumstances. The
eight or ten hands comprising the crew of the _Lalage_ were all well-
known to him, having indeed belonged to the cutter for years, while she
was still the property of Jack's father, and they would doubtless serve
as the nucleus of the new ship's crew: but of course they would go but a
little way towards the manning of a steam-yacht of three hundred and
forty tons measurement; while Perkins, satisfactory as he had proved
himself in his capacity of skipper of the cutter, would never do as
commander of the new ship--though he might perhaps make a very good
chief officer. Having arrived at this point in his meditations, Jack
suddenly bethought himself of Lieutenant Philip Milsom, R.N. (retired),
who would make a perfectly ideal skipper for the new craft, and would
probably be glad enough to get to sea again for a few months, and
supplement his scanty income by drawing the handsome pay which the
captain of a first-class modern steam-yacht can command. Whereupon the
young man turned into the next telegraph office that he came to, and
dispatched a wire to Milsom, briefly informing him that he had heard of
a berth which he thought would suit him, and requesting him to call at
Morley's Hotel on the following day. And at lunch-time Jack received a
letter from Carlos Montijo, announcing the departure of his father and
himself for Paris, _en route_ for Switzerland, and containing an
itinerary and list of dates for Singleton's guidance in the event of his
finding it necessary to communicate with them.

Jack had finished his luncheon, and was taking a cup of coffee with his
cigarette in the smoke-room, when a wai