twenty minutes past eleven
The one fact at present ascertainable concerning the unknown searcher for reckless young men of good appearance was that he appeared to be possessed of considerable decision of character , a man who did not take long to make up his mind . He was rejecting applicants now at the rate of two a minute . Expeditious though he was , he kept Ashe waiting for a considerable time . It was not until the hands of the fat clock over the door pointed to twenty minutes past eleven that the office boy 's `` Next ! '' found him the only survivor . He gave his clothes a hasty smack with the palm of his hand and his hair a fleeting dab to accentuate his good appearance , and turned the handle of the door of fate . The room assigned by the firm to their Mr. Boole for his personal use was a small and dingy compartment , redolent of that atmosphere of desolation which lawyers alone know how to achieve .