five minutes to seven
The stranger , who seemed to be rather puzzled , if somewhat reassured , dawdled over the lighting of the cigar , and watched Curtis enter the dining-room . Then he went back to his chair in the café . So much , and no more , did the youth in charge of the counter observe -- not a great deal , but it went a long way before midnight . A clock in the hall showed that the hour was five minutes to seven . Half hoping that Devar might actually put in an appearance a little later , Curtis gave his hat and coat to a negro , and decided to dine in the hotel . Evidently , the place still retained its old-time repute as a family and commercial resort . The family element was in evidence at some of the tables , while , in the case of solitary diners , each man could have been labeled Pittsburg , Chicago , or Philadelphia , almost without error , by those acquainted with the industrial life of the United States .