eight o'clock in the morning
And good-night , Watson , '' he added , as the wheels of the royal brougham rolled down the street . `` If you will be good enough to call to-morrow afternoon , at three o'clock , I should like to chat this little matter over with you . '' At three o'clock precisely I was at Baker Street , but Holmes had not yet returned . The landlady informed me that he had left the house shortly after eight o'clock in the morning . I sat down beside the fire , however , with the intention of awaiting him , however long he might be . I was already deeply interested in his inquiry , for , though it was surrounded by none of the grim and strange features which were associated with the two crimes which I have already recorded , still , the nature of the case and the exalted station of his client gave it a character of its own . Indeed , apart from the nature of the investigation which my friend had on hand , there was something in his masterly grasp of a situation , and his keen , incisive reasoning , which made it a pleasure to me to study his system of work , and to follow the quick , subtle methods by which he disentangled the most inextricable mysteries .