eight o'clock
The hours which must intervene before I could possibly hope for a return I spent at the Wayfarers ' , and there I heard of Wildred , who had lunched at the club with his friend Wigram , and later had been interrupted during a game of billiards by a telegram . He had used some strong language , and hurriedly excusing himself , had left in the midst of the game . Things had evidently been put into train early , I told myself with satisfaction , and I concluded that the despatch had either gone out from police headquarters or been sent by that stealthy-faced , invaluable major-domo of Wildred 's . By half-past five I was in the train again , carrying with me all that I could want for the stay of a day or two in a strange hotel , and before eight o'clock I had dined and was anxiously awaiting the appearance of the detective . I had hardly dared to hope as yet for any answer to my cablegrams , still I was disappointed to find upon my advent in Great Marlow that nothing had arrived . Every step along the corridor outside the private sitting-room I had taken made me start like a nervous woman , fancying each time that a knock on my door might follow and the wished-for message be handed in to me . I did not believe that I should hear from Farnham , because my conviction was steadily growing that his murdered body lay unidentified in the mortuary not far away .