a quarter before ten
o'clock
Then she stepped into the car with a quivering lip . It was as the car was turning out of the drive that she burst into tears ... . Such consolation as Lady Touchstone sought to administer was gently but firmly declined : and , since her niece would have none of it , neither , gentlemen , shall you . It was a few hours later -- to be exact , at a quarter before ten o'clock -- that a gentleman of some distinction laid down _ The Times _ . For a moment or two he sat still , looking into the fire . Then he picked up a pile of depositions and drew a pencil-case from his pocket . For a while the occasional flick of a page argued his awful attention to the recital of crime : then the keen grey eyes slid back to the glowing coals , and the longhand went by the board .