about nine o'clock
All was quiet -- no one had entered or left the house , and L -- became thoroughly satisfied that it must be unoccupied . He might have haunted the house in one disguise or another , retaining the same correct opinion , until doomsday , had not one of the neighboring houses contained one of those inquisitive gentlemen -LRB- sometimes depreciatingly called `` meddlers '' -RRB- who can never be content without knowing the business of all others , better than their own . This person , partially an invalid , and much confined to the house and to very short walks in the neighborhood , -- had observed the surveillance of the day before , still continued that morning ; and he had also observed the episode of the carriage in the midst of the thunder-storm , of which the officer was as yet happily oblivious . Putting all the appearances together , he concluded that there had been some accusation , a watch and an escape ; and about nine o'clock that morning he strolled out to the sidewalk ; accosted the detective ; informed him , with a knowing wink of the eye , that he understood the whole matter ; and finished by advising him that `` the birds had flown , '' and of the particular time when they took wing . As appendiary matter , he also informed the detective that the house was a furnished one belonging to a wealthy grocer who had just gone to Europe with his family -- that it had been rented for a few weeks past to some very odd people -- and that he had wondered at their being no attention paid to it before , as he was satisfied it was a receptacle for stolen goods . To say that L -- was surprised at the first part of this intelligence , would be to say nothing ; to say that he was mortified and enraged at being obliged to make such a report to the Superintendent , would be to put the case very mildly ; and to say that he felt like amputating the head of a large-sized nail with his teeth , would only being doing justice to his feelings at this juncture . The communicative neighbor finally informed him that he doubted whether the house was fastened , from the suddenness of the departure the day before ; and on the hint the detective acted .