five o'clock
It was quite dark by this time , and somewhere between the Keldale House lodge and the town , the lamps of the car swept for an instant over a girl riding a bicycle in the opposite direction . Carrington looked round quickly and saw that she was Miss Cicely Farmond . On the morning after his visit from Mr. Carrington , Ned Cromarty took his keeper with him and drove over to shoot on a friend 's estate . He stayed for tea and it was well after five o'clock and quite dark when he started on his long drive home . The road passed close to a wayside station with a level crossing over the line , and when they came to this the gates were closed against them and the light of the signal of the up line had changed from red to white . `` Train 's up to time , '' said Ned to the keeper . `` I thought we 'd have got through before she came . ''