From the farther corner of the room came a strident voice. "They were
all of them foolish to go at all, that's what I say. They will be out
there all night, and in the morning we will be laughing at them when
they return aboard. See here. Please see here."

The speaker opened and held up an illustrated advertising booklet. No
one in the room could fail to see it. "Thirty-eight water-tight
compartments. See, there it is. Non-sinkable. Non-sinkable--that's the
word. See for yourself, whoever cares. But there's people who fancy they
know more about ships than the men who make a trade of building 'em." He
stared around the room to see who would gainsay him. Nobody seemed to
care to.

Crupp turned around to see who it was. "It's that chap was auctioning
off the ship's pool an hour or two ago," explained Vogel. "He never
stops."

Major Crupp's questioning eyes roamed from Cadogan to the assertive man
at the farther corner and back to Cadogan. "What d'you make of him,
Cadogan?"

Cadogan shrugged his shoulders. "It is faith like his that builds
empires. And stupidity like his that loses them."

The man with the booklet had not abated the fervor of his reading
announcements; but those who were listening were listening without
comment. Thus far no one in the room had spoken aloud of danger except
the man with the booklet. The effect of his loud insistence was to
increase the unvoiced uneasiness.

A steward, with a face into which a white frost seemed to have bitten,
burst into the smoking-room, revolved rapidly once in the middle of the
room, and vanished through the door by which he came.

Everybody turned toward the door through which he disappeared, and then
every head seemed to turn toward every other. The voice of the man with
the booklet was lowered. Presently he ceased reading.

One man stood up and went silently out. The door closed behind him.
Another stood up. One, two, three men followed him to the door. Several
got up together. Another group was on its way when suddenly there was a
rush for the door. The man with the booklet, whiskered, fat, and
red-necked, stared down at his printed page in amaze. He gulped,
blinked, heaved himself up, and lumbered after the others. Only the four
gathered around the corner table remained in the smoking-room.

Crupp, with his thumbs hooked into his trousers pockets, was staring
down between his knees. On Crupp's left was Vogel, the millionaire of
the railroads. He was a t