ah, the wisdom of Bertie Wooster

"I have often wondered, when I read about fellows getting horsewhipped on the steps of their club, why they didn't just go up the steps and into the club, knowing that the chap behind the horsewhip wasn't a member and wouldn't have a chance of getting past the hall porter."

                                                   -  The Cat-Nappers, by P. G. Wodehouse