half past five
He decided , rather than take the trams which would have carried him to King 's Cross , to walk , and , since he hated main roads , he had taken a short cut , which , as he knew , would lead him into the Hampstead Road . Thus he found himself in Flowerton Road , a thoroughfare of respectable detached houses occupied by the superior industrial type . He was striding along , swinging his umbrella and humming , as was his wont , an unmusical rendering of a popular tune , when his attention was attracted to a sight which took his breath away and brought him to a halt . It was half past five , and dull , but his eyesight was excellent , and it was impossible for him to make a mistake . The houses of Flowerton Road stand back and are separated from the sidewalk by diminutive gardens . The front doors are approached by six or seven steps , and it was on the top of one of these flights in front of an open door that the scene was enacted which brought Mr. Mann to a standstill . The characters were a young man and a girl .