three o'clock in the morning
It was Timothy Lingard , staggering towards the mill , very much the worse for what he had been drinking . `` You ca n't go there ; go home at once , '' said Archie . `` Night-watch -- caretaker -- said I 'd be here , '' mumbled Timothy , trying to brush past him ; and then finding Archie still stood as a hindrance in front of him , he tried to strike him -- of course not knowing who it was -- only he missed his aim , and fell down into the gutter . There Archie left him , to seek a cab , which is not an easy thing to find at three o'clock in the morning . However , before long he did succeed in procuring one , and in it Stephen was conveyed to the nearest hospital . * * * * * Mr. Fairfax was just starting for his office the next morning when he was accosted by a respectable-looking working-man . `` Do I speak to Mr. Fairfax , sir ? ''