ten o'clock in the morning
After that momentary glimpse of intelligence , and his interview with his son , the Marquess had relapsed into unconsciousness ; but the doctor , in answer to Celia 's anxious inquiries , had told her that there was a chance , just a chance , of life . As the great house settled into its nightly silence , Derrick 's train was speeding on its way . He had got through Donna Elvira 's business satisfactorily , and , moreover , following Reggie 's instructions , obtained his special licence ; therefore , his heart was light as he sat and smoked while the express tore through the silence of the night . He reached Thexford at ten o'clock in the morning , and went straight to the inn . Reggie , he was told , was out ; and Derrick made a good breakfast and , naturally enough , was drawn towards the wood . It was a hundred to one chance that Celia should be there ; but he decided to take the odds . The morning was hot ; it was not at all unlikely that , puzzled and perhaps alarmed by his absence , she might go to the wood .