four o'clock
His first ally ; for hitherto -- save for the indiscretion of his mural inscriptions -- he had made a secret of his private ambitions . In that now half-forgotten love affair at Whortley even , he had , in spite of the considerable degree of intimacy attained , said absolutely nothing about his Career . Miss Heydinger declined to disbelieve in the spirits of the dead , and this led to controversy in the laboratory over Tea . For the girl students , being in a majority that year , had organised Tea between four o'clock and the advent of the extinguishing policeman at five . And the men students were occasionally invited to Tea . But not more than two of them at a time really participated , because there were only two spare cups after that confounded Simmons broke the third . Smithers , the square-headed student with the hard grey eyes , argued against the spirits of the dead with positive animosity , while Bletherley , who displayed an orange tie and lank hair in unshorn abundance , was vaguely open-minded , `` What is love ? ''