a quarter to four
The judge discharged Frank Merrill without comment , and he left the court a free but ruined man . It was two months after the great trial , on a warm day in October , when Frank Merrill stepped ashore from the big white paddle boat which had carried him across Lake Leman from Lausanne , and , handing his bag to a porter , made his way to the hotel omnibus . He looked at his watch . It pointed to a quarter to four , and May was not due to arrive until half past . He went to his hotel , washed and changed and came down to the vestibule to inquire if the instructions he had telegraphed had been carried out . May was arriving in company with Saul Arthur Mann , who was taking one of his rare holidays abroad . Frank had only seen the girl once since the day of the trial .