Programming note: Tomorrow, Wednesday, Mark will be presenting another Clubland Q&A taking questions from Steyn Club members live around the planet at our regular hour: 3pm North American Eastern - that's 8pm Greenwich Mean Time/9pm Central European.
Meanwhile, welcome to Part Five of the first of this season's Christmas capers: Mystery in White by Jefferson Farjeon, about the adventures of half-a-dozen railway passengers abandoning a snowbound train on Christmas Eve.
There are two ways to enjoy our Tales for Our Time - either as a slug of nightly audio Ovaltine twenty minutes before you lower your lamp. Which means cliffhangers-a-go-go. Or you can save them up for a binge-listen on a long weekend car journey - in which case you're hanging on a cliff only for the few seconds it takes to click the next episode. Better a binger than a whinger, as the old Australian proverb has it.
In tonight's episode, various members of a somewhat mismatched house party attempt to sound each other out:
David frowned.
"You know, sir," he said, "I think you and I might get on quite well if you'd be a bit more explicit."
"I have the same idea, Mr. Carrington," answered Mr. Maltby. "But I can only be explicit on one condition."
"What is it?"
"That you do not pass on what I tell you without my permission."
David hesitated. "I don't like giving blind promises," he said.
"I don't like exacting them," replied Mr. Maltby. "You are under no obligation to give this one."
"Only I won't hear what you've got to tell me if I don't?" The old man shook his head. "All right, I agree. No, wait a moment. Why am I privileged?"
"Because I may need some help before we leave this place."
Members of The Mark Steyn Club can hear Mark read Part Five of our adventure simply by clicking here and logging-in. Earlier episodes of Mystery in White can be found here, and previous Tales for Our Time here.
If you'd like to join us in The Mark Steyn Club, we'd love to have you: please see here. And, if you've a chum who enjoys classic fiction, we've introduced a special Steyn Gift Membership: you'll find more details here.
Please join Mark tomorrow evening for Part Six of Mystery in White.
