six o'clock
he said , as he mixed himself some brandy-and-water , and sat down to his desk . The table was covered with drafts of his new bill , and he pulled the papers into shape , arranged his blotting-pad , and dipped his pen in the ink . Then he lit his pipe and rested his head on the back of his chair , staring up at the ceiling . And there he stayed till the servant , coming in at six o'clock , found him hastily snatching up the pen and seeming to make a memorandum . Being Premier , she said , was killing him , and , `` for my part , '' she added , `` I do n't care how soon we 're out . '' After some anxious consideration , Eleanor Scaife decided to keep silence for the present about Mrs. Puttock 's strange remark . That lady had deluged her with such a flood of gossip , that Eleanor felt that a thing was not likely to be true merely because Mrs. Puttock asserted it , while , if the suggested scandal had a basis in fact , it was probable that some of the men of the Governor 's household , or indeed the Governor himself , would be well informed on the matter .