7 p.m
It was the old question of urgency . To-day was the 23rd . The visit to London meant a minimum absence of forty-eight hours , counting from Amsterdam ; that is to say , that by travelling for two nights and one day , and devoting the other day to investigating Dollmann 's past , it was humanly possible for me to be back on the Frisian coast on the evening of the 25th . Yes , I could be at Norden , if that was the ` rendezvous ' , at 7 p.m. . But what a scramble ! No margin for delays , no physical respite . Some pasts take a deal of raking up -- other persons may be affected ; men are cautious , they trip you up with red tape ; or the man who knows is out at lunch -- a protracted lunch ; or in the country -- a protracted week-end .