It's worth noting that the Athena Club only issues 9 honorary membership invitations each year, and Sir Arthur occupying one of them highlights the weight of his achievements.
Incidentally, joining alongside Sir Arthur were Mr. Eld Carter and Mr. Charles Darwin, who had just received the Royal Medal.
As for British literary treasures like Dickens, Disraeli, and Tennyson, they were already honorary members years ago.
The doors of the Athena Club never "swing open"; on the contrary, it always embraces those outstanding masters destined for immortality.
The waiter inside wore a dark tailcoat, though appearing unassuming, he needed no introduction to recognize any member, identifying them in his mind the instant they stepped in.
"Good evening, Sir Arthur."
Though Arthur had never met this server before, it did not prevent him from returning the greeting: "Good evening, Charlie."
Charlie was the uniform name of every waiter at the Athena Club.
