half past eleven
Fandor was not in the least impressed by the lieutenant 's aggressive declarations . He regarded him calmly -- there was a touch of irony in his gaze : at the same time , he did not clearly understand de Loubersac 's last phrase . The excellent Monsieur de Naarboveck murmured in his ear : `` De Loubersac , you know , has to do with the Second Bureau at the Ministry of War : the statistics department . '' ... * * * * * It was only at half past eleven that Fandor had been able to tear himself away from the de Naarboveck house . Fandor wandered on the boulevards a long time before he returned to his flat . On his table , near his portmanteau ready strapped for departure , he found the Railway Guide lying open at the page showing the lines from Paris to the Côte d'Azur ! He would not look at the seductive time-table .