midnight
There was a formal evening meeting of all concerned when the detective captain finally reported that the whole department were unable to find a clue of Randall Clayton 's whereabouts . Arthur Ferris gazed askance at Mr. John Witherspoon 's strong face when the company 's leading New York lawyer took up the word , as the French neatly put it . `` Gentlemen , '' said he , `` we may as well adjourn this meeting . We have been in secret session here , till it now nears midnight . We are all groping in the dark . Here is a remarkable phase of a great crime . Even the ` argus-eyed press ' has no theory to offer . ''