3
o'clock
If Esther had got to know the truth , better hear it from him than from that brute . He drove off at breakneck speed . It seemed miles and miles to London ; no matter how much of the winding road he covered , it unfolded again before his eyes , and mercilessly again . He went straight to Charing Cross ; he left the car in the yard and dashed in to inquire about trains ; he searched a time-table ; 12.59 -- 3 o'clock -- 4.5 ... he looked up at the clock -- three minutes past four now . Micky dashed across the big hall to a gate where a signboard said `` Dover Express '' ; he had no ticket ; he pushed by the protesting inspector ; the guard was waving his flag ; some one grabbed at Micky and missed as he flung himself breathless and panting into the last coach of the moving train . Micky sat for a few moments breathless and exhausted before he pulled himself together , and taking off his hat wiped his hot forehead . The train was gathering speed ; he let down the window with a run and looked out ; the station was out of sight altogether ; they were crossing the bridge under which the silent Thames flowed sluggishly .