nearly nine o’clock
If the ticket-collector was to be credited , the objects of his search had reached Westbourne Park , where their tickets had been taken . There , however , all the evidence proved that they had not descended . Nobody had seen them alight Yet , not a trace was to be found at Paddington of a gentleman in a fur coat , nor of any gentleman travelling alone with a young lady . It was nearly nine o'clock when Maitland , puzzled , worn out , and disgusted , arrived in town . He did what he could in the way of interrogating the porters -- all to no purpose . In the crowd and bustle of passengers , who skirmish for their luggage under inadequate lights , no one remembered having seen either of the persons whom Maitland described . There remained the chance of finding out and cross-examining all the cab-drivers who had taken up passengers by the late trains the night before .