midnight
Most of the habitués of the club had evidently come at an early hour , for he saw nobody come in and nobody go out until nearly eleven o'clock . It began to rain a fine , thin drizzle , which penetrated every crevice , which insinuated itself down his neck , though his collar was upturned ; and then , on top of this , came a gusty easterly wind , which chilled him to the marrow . Keeping in the shadow of the houses opposite , he maintained , however , a careful scrutiny , thereby earning the suspicion of a policeman , who passed him twice on his beat before he stopped to ask if he were looking for somebody . As midnight chimed from a neighbouring church the door of the club opened and its members came out . Malcolm crossed the road and walked down to meet them , since they all seemed to be coming in the same direction . There were about twenty men , and they were speaking in Russian or Yiddish , but the subjects of their discourse were of the most innocent character . He saw nobody he knew , or had ever seen before .