a quarter to six
I began dressing eagerly in the clothes I found lying about on the floor , and only realised when I was dressed that it was an evening suit I had assumed . I opened the wardrobe and found some more ordinary clothes , a pair of plaid trousers , and an old-fashioned dressing-gown . I put a venerable smoking-cap on my venerable head , and , coughing a little from my exertions , tottered out upon the landing . It was then , perhaps , a quarter to six , and the blinds were closely drawn and the house quite silent . The landing was a spacious one , a broad , richly-carpeted staircase went down into the darkness of the hall below , and before me a door ajar showed me a writing-desk , a revolving bookcase , the back of a study chair , and a fine array of bound books , shelf upon shelf . `` My study , '' I mumbled , and walked across the landing . Then at the sound of my voice a thought struck me , and I went back to the bedroom and put in the set of false teeth .