midnight
The apartments were not , however , furnished with archaeological correctness . A wall-paper of an antique design contrasted with a modern tablecloth , and the sombre red curtains were ill suited to the plate-glass which had replaced the narrow windows of old time . Dick did not like the dust nor the tarnish , but no other bed and sitting-room being available , a bargain was soon struck , and the proprietor , after hoping that his guests would be comfortable , informed them that the rule of his house was that the street door was barred and locked at eleven o'clock , and would be reopened for no one . He was a quiet man who kept an orderly house , and if people could not manage to be in before midnight he did not care for their custom . After grumbling a bit , Dick remembered that the pubs closed at eleven , and as he did not know anyone in the town there would be no temptation to stay out . Williams , who had been attentively examining Kate , said that he was going down to the theatre , and asked if he should have the luggage sent up . This was an inconvenient question , and as an explanation was impossible before the hotel-keeper , Dick was obliged to wish Kate good-bye for the present , and accompany Williams down to the theatre .