ten o'clock
It was odd to think that Mary might be then returned to London , and that I , whom perchance she thought dead , was near to her , and yet , in a sense , more cut off from her than in the grave itself . And Black , whom all the Governments were pursuing so lustily , was at my side smoking a great cigar , apparently oblivious to all sense of danger or of hazard . Life has many contrasts , but it never had a stranger than that , I feel sure . It was after ten o'clock that the ride terminated ; and , following Black and Osbart into a closed carriage that awaited us , I was driven from the station . I should say that we drove for fifteen minutes or more , staying at last before a house in a narrow _ cul-de-sac _ , where we went upstairs to a suite of rooms reserved for us . After an excellent supper Osbart left us , but Black took me to a double-bedded room , saying that he could not let me out of his sight , and that I must share the sleeping-place with him . `` Boy , if you make one attempt to play me false , '' said he , `` I 'll blow your brains out , though you were my own son . ''