five o'clock
The lords and nobles who should have met him at the railway station were as conspicuously absent in the rotunda of the hotel . No one was there to receive him except the ingratiating manager of the establishment , who hoped that he had had a pleasant trip and who assured him that it would not be more than a couple of hours before his rooms would be vacated by the people who now had them but were going away as soon as the procession had passed . `` Get 'em out at once , '' stormed Mr. Blithers . `` Do you think I want to hang around this infernal lobby until -- '' `` Pardon me , '' said the manager blandly , `` but your rooms will not be ready for you before four or five o'clock . They are occupied . We can put you temporarily in rooms at the rear if your lady desires to rest and refresh herself after the journey . '' `` Well , I 'll be -- '' began Mr. Blithers , purple in the face , and then leaned suddenly against the counter , incapable of finishing the sentence .