six o'clock
The younger of the two , a lean , dark fellow , emptied his glass at one go , but his companion , a big fair man about thirty-five , clean shaven , and slightly bald , handled his glass so awkwardly that the contents escaped on to the floor . The big fair man called for fresh drinks . Their glasses were refilled so quickly that the dark young man failed to notice it : he drank on and on automatically , as though wound up to do so , but his companion barely wetted his lips with the intoxicating liquor . It was six o'clock and a dismal December evening ; but there was an animated cosmopolitan crowd in Robert 's bar . Robert 's of London is the equivalent of Maxim 's of Paris . The great place for luxurious entertainments , it opens its doors at twilight , and does not close them till the small hours are well advanced . When evening falls , the scene grows animated : business men and women of pleasure crowd the rooms .