Horror Stories from Horrified - Volume One (2)

polished br ass plaque, was set into the wall above the paintings: Quercu de Cordibus
Vestris.
Whitlock saw my inter est in the inscr iption. ?Hear ts of Oak, old chap. A fitting
epithet for the pr esidents of the Elmsall, w ouldn?t you say?? The question was
pur ely r hetor ical and he immediately continued. ?So, Bainbr idge, you?ve declar ed
an inter est in member ship of this histor ic establishment. What is it that you think
you can br ing to our Club, w er e w e to gr ant you entr y??
The man was so pompous.
?Well, sir ,? I r eplied, w ith a gestur e to the cluster s of tw eed-suited gentlemen
situated about the high-ceilinged r oom, ?I feel I have much in common w ith your
member s; I have acquir ed a ver y comfor table standar d of living, fr om my
accountancy business. I w ould cer tainly have no difficulty in managing the annual
fees.
In fact, I w ould be mor e than happy to make a gener ous donation to the Elmsall,
in addition? ? I paused, in or der to take note of the glint in Whitlock?s eye, and
r ealized that the bait was being sniffed.
He nodded, sagely, mur mur ing, ?Go on.?
?I am an old Etonian.? Flashing the old school tie couldn?t do any har m. ?And
my father is confident that my application to the Fr eemasons w ill be appr oved in
the near futur e.?
I obser ved a know ing smile flicker on his lips, befor e it disappear ed as quickly as
it had come. ?Mmm? Indeed. But one thing puzzles me, Bainbr idge. My sour ces
infor m me that you ar e w idow ed. This is a gentlemen?s club; that is, a club for
gentlemen w ho, to be fr ank,? (he tapped the side of his nose, conspir ator ially) ?w ish
to escape, for a time, the pressures of domesticity ? w ife, childr en, ser vants... Ther e
ar e a gr eat many other s that w ould appeal to a single, available young man. Why
124