midnight
They were on the second floor , small , dingy , choked with books . Ordinarily he shut the door behind him with a sigh of content . This evening they seemed to him intolerably confined and stuffy . He thought of going out to his club and a concert , but did nothing , after all , but sit brooding over the fire till midnight , alternately hugging and hating his solitude . * * * * * And so we return to the Wednesday following this unexpected meeting . The drawing-room at No. 27 was beginning to fill . Rose stood at the door receiving the guests as they flowed in , while Agnes in the background dispensed tea .