two o'clock
Such was the gist of the newspaper accounts of the puzzling affair . And now to see how they affected certain individuals who are not strangers to the reader . Stephen Foster sat in his office at No. 320 Wardour street , with half a dozen of the morning and afternoon papers scattered about his desk . It was two o'clock , but he had not gone out to lunch , and it had not occurred to him that the usual hour for it was past . Footsteps came down the length of the shop , and Victor Nevill opened the door . He closed it quickly behind him as he entered the room ; his face expressed extreme agitation , and he looked like a man who has spent a sleepless night . `` You have seen them ? ''