six P.M.
The Colonel , abandoning his hospitable plan of inviting his new assistant to sup with him at the club , bowed with dignity , and Queed eagerly left him . Glancing at his watch in the elevator , the young man figured that the interview , including going and coming , would stand him in an hour 's time , which was ten minutes more than he had allowed for it . _ Selections from Contemporary Opinions of Mr. Queed ; also concerning Henry G. Surface , his Life and Deeds ; of Fifi , the Landlady 's Daughter , and how she happened to look up Altruism in the Dictionary _ . A month later , one icy afternoon , Charles Gardiner West ran into Colonel Cowles at the club , where the Colonel , a lone widower , repaired each day at six P.M. , there to talk over the state of the Union till nine-thirty . `` Colonel , '' said West , dropping into a chair , `` man to man , what is your opinion of Doctor Queed 's editorials ? '' `` They are unanswerable , '' said the Colonel , and consulted his favorite ante-prandial refreshment . West laughed .