ten o'clock
I shall be on time . '' And they turned from each other , passing from the parlor by separate doors . _ ONE _ morning , about two weeks later , Mr. Freeling did not make his appearance at his place of business as usual . At ten o'clock a clerk went to the hotel where he boarded to learn the cause of his absence . He had not been there since the night before . His trunks and clothing were all in their places , and nothing in the room indicated anything more than an ordinary absence . Twelve o'clock , and still Mr. Freeling had not come to the store .