seven o'clock
You 'll hear something one of these days . '' Constable Wiseman was an excellent prophet , vague as his prophecy was . He went out of the cottage to his duty in a complacent frame of mind , which was not unusual , for Constable Wiseman was nothing if not satisfied with his fate . His complacency continued until a little after seven o'clock that evening . It so happened that Constable Wiseman , no less than every other member of the force on duty that night , had much to think about , much that was at once exciting and absorbing . It had been whispered before the evening parade that Sergeant Smith was to leave the force . There was some talk of his being dismissed , but it was clear that he had been given the opportunity of resigning , for he was still doing duty , which would not have been the case had he been forcibly removed .