midnight before
Leaving his own car in the middle of the road , he leaped into the red car and gave her her full head . In half an hour the red car had left the city and was speeding along a smooth country road in the moonlight . Ted still lay in a stupor in the bottom of the car , and the only sound that came from him was an occasional gasp as his lungs , trying to recover from a shock , took in short gulps of air . It was midnight before the red car slowed down . Ahead in the moonlight rose the black bulk of a building . It presented the appearance of a country house of some pretensions . The house was dark .