about six o'clock
She threw as great an emphasis as was possible in the impassive French language into her question . Vanderlyn avoided her perplexed , questioning glance . `` Since yesterday evening , '' he answered , `` all trace of Margaret Pargeter has been lost . She seems to have left her house about six o'clock , and then to have disappeared -- utterly . The servants believed , '' he added , after a pause , `` that she was coming straight to you ; she had , it seems , taken some luggage to the station the day before , and seen personally to its despatch . '' There was a pause ; neither spoke for some moments , and Madame de Léra noticed that Vanderlyn had not asked her if Peggy 's luggage had arrived at her house . `` Then , Monsieur , it is surely clear , '' she exclaimed at last , `` that there has been an accident , a terrible accident to our poor friend !