one o'clock
His superiority to these his fellow-members soothed him . He saw through all the sham of this club life , the meanness of this worship of success , the sham of kid-gloved novelists , `` good form , '' and the terrific decency of our education . It was soothing thus to see through things , soothing thus to be superior ; and from the soft recesses of his chair he puffed out smoke and stretched his limbs toward the fire ; and the fire burned back at him with a discreet and venerable glow . Punctual to his word , Bill Dennant called for Shelton at one o'clock . `` I bet old Benjy 's feeling a bit cheap , '' said he , as they got out of their cab at the church door and passed between the crowded files of unelect , whose eyes , so curious and pitiful , devoured them from the pavement . The ashen face of a woman , with a baby in her arms and two more by her side , looked as eager as if she had never experienced the pangs of ragged matrimony . Shelton went in inexplicably uneasy ; the price of his tie was their board and lodging for a week .