ten o'clock
A few old-fashioned houses lie scattered among the business premises , and in one of these , half-way down on the left-hand side , Dr. Horace Selby conducts his large practice . It is a singular street for so big a man ; but a specialist who has an European reputation can afford to live where he likes . In his particular branch , too , patients do not always regard seclusion as a disadvantage . It was only ten o'clock . The dull roar of the traffic which converged all day upon London Bridge had died away now to a mere confused murmur . It was raining heavily , and the gas shone dimly through the streaked and dripping glass , throwing little circles upon the glistening cobblestones . The air was full of the sounds of the rain , the thin swish of its fall , the heavier drip from the eaves , and the swirl and gurgle down the two steep gutters and through the sewer grating .