Two o'clock
She was too confident to be anything but faintly amused at her neighbor 's middle-class anxiety . But Finnegan 's skepticism concerning Mrs. Condor annoyed her and she remembered the disagreeable words of her aunt : '' _ Hired _ you ? How extraordinary ! '' * * * * * `` Two o'clock _ sharp _ ! '' The memory of Stillman 's air of delicate banter as he emphasized the hour for beginning his business venture struck Claire ironically the more she pondered his words . She had a feeling that there was something farcical in the prospect , and yet there seemed nothing to do but to go through with the preliminaries . She presented herself , therefore , at the appointed time at the Stanford Court apartments .