half past two
To grant , for instance , that Clark was capable of sitting , with a girl beside him , through a performance by the woman for whom he had wrecked his life , of a play he had once known from the opening line to the tag . To grant that he could laugh and applaud , and at the drop of the curtain go calmly away , with such memories behind him as must be his . To grant , too , that he had survived miraculously his sensational disappearance , found a new identity and a new place for himself ; even , witness the girl , possible new ties . At half past two Bassett closed his memorandum book , stuffed it into his pocket , and started for home . As he passed the Ardmore Hotel he looked up at its windows . Gregory would have told her , probably . He wondered , half amused , whether the stage manager had told him of his inquiries , and whether in that case they might not fear him more than Clark himself .