about one
o'clock in the afternoon
Now a man who drops into lunch without announcing his intention or previously ascertaining those of his friends has no right to quarrel with fate if he finds an empty house . Thus philosophically I reflected as I turned away from the house in profound discontent , demanding of the universe in general why Mrs. Hornby need have perversely chosen my first free day to go gadding into the country , and above all , why she must needs spirit away the fair Juliet . This was the crowning misfortune -LRB- for I could have endured the absence of the elder lady with commendable fortitude -RRB- , and since I could not immediately return to the Temple it left me a mere waif and stray for the time being . Instinct -- of the kind that manifests itself especially about one o'clock in the afternoon -- impelled me in the direction of Brompton Road , and finally landed me at a table in a large restaurant apparently adjusted to the needs of ladies who had come from a distance to engage in the feminine sport of shopping . Here , while waiting for my lunch , I sat idly scanning the morning paper and wondering what I should do with the rest of the day ; and presently it chanced that my eye caught the announcement of a matinée at the theatre in Sloane Square . It was quite a long time since I had been at a theatre , and , as the play -- light comedy -- seemed likely to satisfy my not very critical taste , I decided to devote the afternoon to reviving my acquaintance with the drama . Accordingly as soon as my lunch was finished , I walked down the Brompton Road , stepped on to an omnibus , and was duly deposited at the door of the theatre .