seven o'clock
It would have been easier , he thought , if those weeks of wonderland had never been . Richard Gessner had done him no service -- rich men rarely help those whom they patronize for their own ends . Alban thought of all this , and still being unable to sleep , he fell to numbering the hours which stood between him and his meeting with Lois . He was sure that she would be ready for him however early his visit might be -- and he said that he would ring for his coffee at seven o'clock and try to go down to the river at eight . If there were no message from Mr. Gessner before he left , he thought it would be wise to counsel patience for this day at least . In plain truth he was less concerned about the diplomatic side of the affair than the personal . An overmastering desire for Lois ' companionship , the wish to hear her voice , to speak to her , to talk as they had talked in the dark days of long ago , prevailed above the calm reckoning of yesterday .