ten o'clock
And these brief descriptions of their characters are necessary for the proper understanding of what subsequently took place . With Smoke sleeping in the folds of his fur coat , and the collie lying watchful on the seat opposite , John Silence went down in his motor after dinner on the night of November 15th . And the fog was so dense that they were obliged to travel at quarter speed the entire way . * * * * * It was after ten o'clock when he dismissed the motor and entered the dingy little house with the latchkey provided by Pender . He found the hall gas turned low , and a fire in the study . Books and food had also been placed ready by the servant according to instructions . Coils of fog rushed in after him through the open door and filled the hall and passage with its cold discomfort .