nearly nine o'clock
I was glad I was not his lawyer . I re-read the correspondence , notably the letter which recommended him -- almost tenderly , I fancied -- to build a fourteen-foot brick wall at the end of his garden , and half-way through it a thought struck me which filled me with pure joy . The footman ushered in two men , frock-coated , grey-trousered , smooth-shaven , heavy of speech and gait . It was nearly nine o'clock , but they looked as newly come from a bath . I could not understand why the elder and taller of the pair glanced at me as though we had an understanding ; nor why he shook hands with an unEnglish warmth . `` This simplifies the situation , '' he said in an undertone , and , as I stared , he whispered to his companion : `` I fear I shall be of very little service at present . Perhaps Mr. Folsom had better talk over the affair with Mr. Sargent . ''