The young man greeted him in a decidedly friendly manner.

“I didn’t know you were a member here,” he exclaimed.

“It’s the first time I’ve ever been in the club,” said Yeovil, “and I fancy it will be the last.  There is rather too much of the fighting machine in evidence here.  One doesn’t want a perpetual reminder of what has happened staring one in the face.”

“We tried at first to keep the alien element out,” said Herlton apologetically, “but we couldn’t have carried on the club if we’d stuck to that line.  You see we’d lost more than two-thirds of our old members so we couldn’t afford to be exclusive.  As a matter of fact the whole thing was decided over our heads; a new syndicate took over the concern, and a new committee was installed, with a good many foreigners on it.  I know it’s horrid having these uniforms flaunting all over the place, but what is one to do?”

Yeovil said nothing, with the air of a man who could have said a great deal.

“I suppose you wonder, why remain a member under those conditions?” continued Herlton.  “Well, as far as I am concerned, a place like this is a necessity for me.  In fact, it’s my profession, my source of income.”

“Are you as good at bridge as all that?” asked Yeovil; “I’m a fairly successful player myself, but I should be sorry to have to live on my winnings, year in, year out.”

“I don’t play cards,” said Herlton, “at least not for serious stakes.  My winnings or losings wouldn’t come to a tenner in an average year.  No, I live by commissions, by introducing likely buyers to would-be sellers.”

“Sellers of what?” asked Yeovil.

“Anything, everything; horses, yachts, old masters, plate, shootings, poultry-farms, week-end cottages, motor cars, almost anything you can think of.  Look,” and he produced from his breast pocket a bulky note-book illusorily inscribed “engagements.”

“Here,” he explained, tapping the book, “I’ve got a double entry of every likely client that I know, with a note of the things he may have to sell and the things he may want to buy.  When it is something that he has for sale there are cross-references to likely purchasers of that particular line of article.  I don’t limit myself to things that I actually know people to be in want of, I go further than that and have theories, carefully indexed theories, as to the things that people might want to buy.  At the right moment, if I can get the opportunity, I mention the article that is in my mind’s eye to the possible purchaser who has also been in my mind’s eye, and I frequently bring off a sale.  I started a chance acquaintance on a career of print-buying the other day merely by telling him of a couple of good prints that I knew of, that were to be had at a quite reasonable price; he is a man with more money than he knows what to do with, and he has laid out quite a lot on old prints since his first purchase.  Most of his collection he has got through me, and of course I net a commission on each transaction.  So you see, old man, how useful, not to say necessary, a club with a large membership is to me.  The more mixed and socially chaotic it is, the more serviceable it is.”