Chapter 15—The Situation On the 27th of May
It will not have been forgotten that originally, according to the will of William J. Hypperbone, the number of players of the Noble Game of the United States of America had been fixed at six, chosen by lot. These “six,” at the instructions of Tornbrock, had figured at the funeral around the car of this eccentric personage.
Neither will it have been forgotten, that at the meeting on the 15th of April in which the notary had read the will in the Auditorium, a very unexpected codicil had brought in a seventh competitor known only under the letters XKZ. Had this new-comer come out of the urn like the rest, or had he been brought in solely at the wish of the deceased? No one knew. Whichever way it might be, the codicil was so carefully drawn that no
