nine o'clock
For nearly two hours he sat in the same attitude , examining the papers one after the other , and re-sorting them . Mr. Dunbar must have been possessed of the very spirit of order and precision ; for , although the papers had been neatly arranged before , he re-sorted every one of them ; tying up the packets afresh , reading letter after letter , and making pencil memoranda in his pocket-book as he did so . He betrayed none of the impatience which is natural to a man who is kept waiting by another . He was so completely absorbed by his occupation , that he , perhaps , had forgotten all about the missing man : but at nine o'clock he closed and locked the despatch-box , jumped up from his seat and rang the bell . `` I am beginning to feel alarmed about my friend , '' he said ; `` will you ask the landlord to come to me ? '' Mr. Dunbar went to the window and looked out while the waiter was gone upon this errand . The High Street was very quiet , a lamp glimmered here and there , and the pavements were white in the moonlight .