morning, noon
A high-class automobile had dashed past twice in forty minutes , but the pace was on the borderland of doubt , so the guardian of the public weal had contented himself with recording its number on the return journey . But his thoughts were far a-field from joyriders , stray cattle , hawkers without licenses , and other similar small fry which come into the constabulary net . It would be a feather in his cap if he could only strike the trail of the veritable Steynholme murderer . The entrancing notion possessed him morning , noon , and night . Mrs. Robinson declared that it even dominated his dreams . Robinson was sharp . He knew quite well that the brains of the London detectives held some elusive quality which he personally lacked .