nine o'clock
He marched back , scrutinizing the outside of buildings , trying to conjecture what business the handsome girl and the two men could have in that section at that hour , and where they had entered to prosecute that business . `` I must continue to blame it all on the nice old ladies , '' he told himself , smiling at the shamed zest he was finding in this hunt . `` But I hope this knight-errantry will not grow to be a habit with me . I must n't forget that I have another job on hand for nine o'clock -- also knight-errantry ! '' He paused under the dim light where his men had disappeared and looked at his cheap watch . Twenty-five minutes of nine ! Then he heard a woman 's protesting voice .