midnight
Lanyard 's reply just escaped a suspicion of curtness : as who should say , what did you expect ? He was puzzled by something strange and new in the attitude of this young man , a trace of reserve and constraint ... . They had been meeting from time to time for several years , conducting their secret and lawless business according to a formula invented by Bourke and religiously observed by Lanyard . A note or telegram of innocent superficial intent , addressed to a certain member of a leading firm of jewellers in Amsterdam , was the invariable signal for conferences such as this ; which were invariably held in the same place , at an hour indeterminate between midnight and dawn , between on the one hand this intelligent , cultivated and well-mannered young Jew , and on the other hand the thief in his mask . In such wise did the Lone Wolf dispose of his loot , at all events of the bulk thereof ; other channels were , of course , open to him , but none so safe ; and with no other receiver of stolen goods could he hope to make such fair and profitable deals . Now inevitably in the course of this long association , though each remained in ignorance of his confederate 's identity , these two had come to feel that they knew each other fairly well . Not infrequently , when their business had been transacted , Lanyard would linger an hour with the agent , chatting over cigarettes : both , perhaps , a little thrilled by the piquancy of the situation ; for the young Jew was the only man who had ever wittingly met the Lone Wolf face to face ... .