one o'clock before
I shudder to think of the look she would have given me if I had burst in upon her while in the throes of that extraordinary seizure . Obviously I had lost my wits . Now I had them once more , I knew what to do with them . First of all , I would wait until one o'clock before presenting myself for luncheon . Clearly that was the thing to do . Secondly , I would wait on this side of the castle instead of returning to my own rooms , thereby avoiding a very unpleasant gauntlet . Luckily I had profited by the discussion in the servants ' quarters and was not wearing a three days ' growth of beard .