half after seven
But he considered his trunks ample security for the bill , and dared not wait the hour when shopkeepers begin to take down shutters and it becomes possible to realize upon one 's jewelry . Besides which , he had never before been called upon to consider the advisability of raising money by pledging personal property , and was in considerable doubt as to the right course of procedure in such emergency . At King 's Cross Station on the Underground an acute disappointment awaited him ; there , likewise , he learned something about London . A sympathetic bobby informed him that no trains would be running until after five-thirty , and that , furthermore , no busses would begin to ply until half after seven . `` It 's tramp it or cab it , then , '' mused the young man mournfully , his longing gaze seeking a nearby cab-rank -- just then occupied by a solitary hansom , driver somnolent on the box . `` Officer , '' he again addressed the policeman , mindful of the English axiom : `` When in doubt , ask a bobby . '' -- `` Officer , when 's high-tide this morning ? ''