sually large quota of millionaires and personages, the bidding
was lively and the prices paid for favored numbers high. Needless to say
I was not one of the bidders. My interest was merely casual.

The auctioneer that evening was a famous comedian with an international
reputation and his chatter, as he urged his hearers to higher bids, was
clever and amusing. I was listening to it and smiling at the jokes when
a voice at my elbow said:

"Five pounds."

I turned and saw that the speaker was Heathcroft. His monocle was in his
eye, a cigarette was between his fingers and he looked as if he had
been newly washed and ironed and pressed from head to foot. He nodded
carelessly and I bowed in return.

"Five pounds," repeated Mr. Heathcroft.

The auctioneer acknowledged the bid and proceeded to urge his audience
on to higher flights. The flights were made and my companion capped each
with one more lofty. Eight, nine, ten pounds were bid. Heathcroft bid
eleven. Someone at the opposite side of the room bid twelve. It seemed
ridiculous to me. Possibly my face expressed my feeling; at any rate
something caused the immaculate gentleman in the next chair to address
me instead of the auctioneer.

"I say," he said, "that's running a bit high, isn't it?"

"It seems so to me," I replied. "The number is five hundred and
eighty-six and I think we shall do better than that."

"Oh, do you! Really! And why do you think so, may I ask?"

"Because we are having a remarkably smooth sea and a favorable wind."

"Oh, but you forget the fog. There's quite a bit of fog about us now,
isn't there."

I wish I could describe the Heathcroft manner of saying "Isn't there." I
can't, however; there is no use trying.

"It will amount to nothing," I answered. "The glass is high and there
is no indication of bad weather. Our run this noon was five hundred and
ninety-one, you remember."

"Yes. But we did have extraordinarily good weather for that."

"Why, not particularly good. We slowed down about midnight. There was
a real fog then and the glass was low. The second officer told me it
dropped very suddenly and there was a heavy sea running. For an hour
between twelve and one we were making not much more than half our usual
speed."

"Really! That's interesting. May I ask if you and the second officer are
friends?"

"Scarcely that. He and I exchanged a few words on deck this morning,
that's all."

"But he told you about the fog and the--what i