midnight
Millicent had an ugly temper , but she would cool down if he gave her time , he said to himself . In the evening he fell in with two business acquaintances from a mining district , who were visiting the city for the purpose of finding diversion and they invited him to assist them in their search for amusement . Leslie , though unprincipled , lacked several qualities necessary for a successful rascal , and , oppressed by the fear of Shackleby 's displeasure should Thurston return to the mountains prematurely , and uncertain what to do , was willing to try to forget his perplexities for an hour or two . The attempt was so far successful that he went home at midnight , somewhat unsteadily , a good many dollars poorer than when he set out . Trying the door of his wife 's room , he found it locked . He did not suspect that it had been locked on the outside and that Millicent had thrown the key away . He was , however , rather relieved than otherwise by the discovery of the locked door , and , sleeping soundly , wakened later than usual next morning .