four o'clock
in the afternoon
At the end of three days of suspense she had sought her Fairy Godmother only to meet with a letter from the investigator which sent hope to the winds . In it he stated that aside from the station master at the lonely little railway station , he had encountered no one who recalled seeing a young man of the description of Tom Gray . He had learned from the former that Tom had halted him to inquire the way to the camp and to ascertain if he could obtain any means of conveyance on that day . As it was then four o'clock in the afternoon and no one from the camp had met the train , the station master had warned him that a storm was coming and advised him to wait over until the following morning , offering Tom the hospitality of his own home . The young man had politely declined his offer , saying that he must reach the camp that night and would walk . He had said good-bye and swung off toward the dense growth of forest that rose behind the straggling hamlet , and nothing further had been seen or heard of him . Further inquiry at the camp , which Mr. Blaisdell had experienced considerable difficulty in reaching , had developed the alarming news that no such person as Tom Gray had been seen in that vicinity .