eleven o'clock
Let this be said , too , as far as Mr. Bolitho was concerned , he had never , at any of his meetings , referred to the circular which had created such commotion . Whether he had kept silent as a matter of policy , or because he felt it would have been striking below the belt to do so , I can not say , but certain it is that neither in public nor in private had he ever been known to pass any opinion on the crisis through which Paul was passing . The polling booths closed at eight o'clock on the fourteenth of December , and then crowds moved towards the town hall , where the voting papers were to be counted . It had been announced that the figures would be known soon after eleven o'clock , and thousands of people waited outside the huge building , wondering as to the result of the day 's voting . Of course , Paul and some of his supporters were in the counting chamber , and Paul noticed that Mr. Bolitho passed from table to table , talking eagerly with his friends . Evidently the voting was very close . The little heaps of voting papers were placed along the table , and it seemed as though neither had the advantage .