two o'clock in
the afternoon
Theoretically , of course , his plan would be to wait until night and then , sheltered by the darkness , to approach the house , like a hero of melodrama , and in some way secure entrance . But even as this ready-made campaign presented itself , a dozen objections to it reared up in his mind . The first , of course , was the delay . It was not yet two o'clock in the afternoon , and darkness would not fall until five , even unwisely assuming that it would be safe to approach the place as soon as darkness came . In three hours all sorts of things might happen ; and the prospect of marking time during that interval , while his unbridled imagination ran away with him , was one Laurie could not face . On the other hand , what could he do in broad daylight ? If he were seen , as he almost certainly would be , Shaw , careless now , perhaps , in his fancied security , would take precautions which might make impossible the night 's work of rescue .