Owen Oliver

“ Come and sit here. No, there! In the silly corner!” She meant the half-lit part where the engaged couples sit. “Jimmy, you know everybody. Tell her all about them. I'm not going to frighten her with a heap of introductions all at once. It makes you mix up people ever afterward. You can go and be introduced to Mrs. Grant, one by one, you know.”
We sat in the silly corner; and Omi whispered: “She's nice.” Ferris ran over and shook hands. “He's nice, too,” Omi added. Elsie Vane stretched out her hand from the darkest corner to Omi. ”

“ Let's be a clan of our own. What shall we call it?”
“The Pretenders?” I suggested; and she clapped her hands
“Yes! We'll meet on Thursday next”—that was when we had been asked to the Villierses—“and make rules of our own!”
We made a lot of rules at that meeting. Some of them have been altered, and one has been broken; but the main one has been kept; will be kept as long is there is breath in the members.
On the Friday, however, I met Ferris—I mean Ferris the great comedian, and president of The Clan. ”

“ I claimed; and so did several others; but Elsie shook her head and whispered to Lanebury; and then she sat down and he stood up.
“I appeal to you, on behalf of my——” he paused.
“Client?” some one suggested.
“My Elsie,” he said, with the sudden smile that the critics praise. “She would very much like to give you the sketch, because she is exceedingly pleased with it; but she thinks that it would be a breach of Rule 2—that members should be nice to other members. I think so, too.”
“Rule 3 is against you, Ted,” Ferris observed. “'Members must put up with teasing,' you know.” ”

“ Lanebury agreed; “but members are not obliged to tease them; and I think that, in the case of a new member——”
I whistled softly, and Omi whispered in my ear.
“What does he mean?” she asked.
“It's about us,” I whispered back; “a silly young couple or something; and they don't know how you'd take it.”
“I have a very high opinion of the new member,” Ferris said, at length; “and I believe that she will tease and be teased with the best of us—when she understands our little ways ”

“ Omi used to come to the station with me in the morning; and sometimes she used to come right up to town; and when I came back she used to meet me. I was afraid at first that she would be dull while I was away all day, but she said she wasn't. Housekeeping was new to her, and she thought it was “such fun”! ”

“ They were mostly people who were clever at something—writers and artists and singers and actors and actresses—and they were very fond of teasing and chaffing, and doing things differently from ordinary folk ”

“ Members must be nice themselvesMembers must be nice to one anotherMembers may tease, and must put up with teasing.Members must use their accomplishments for the amusement of all.Members must tell “The Clan” little more about themselves than they tell other people.Members who want help must give “The Clan” the first chance of helping them
OF COURSE!
Members can trust members. ”

“ Villiers, from the center of the circle in front of the fire. “This is a 'Confidence Evening,' you know.”
“What is a 'Confidence Evening,' Jimmy?” Omi asked.
“Rule 5,” I answered. 'Members tell The Clan how they are getting on. We like to know. Here's Ted Lanebury going to begin.”
Ted is an actor and engaged to Elsie. He told us how he had just succeeded in getting a good engagement. It was a long one, he explained gleefully.
“Perhaps it will shorten another engagement?” Ferris suggested. “Eh, old man?”
“I hope so,” he said, with a laugh. I saw his hand touch Elsie in the shadow ”