ten o'clock at night
One fact early became evident to him . There was a ceaseless stream of these living dead men pouring into the catacombs of Ho-Pin , coming he knew not whence , and issuing forth again , he knew not whither . Twice in the first week of his new and strange service he recognized the occupants of the rooms as men whom he had seen in the upper world . On entering the room of one of these -LRB- at ten o'clock at night -RRB- he almost cried out in his surprise ; for the limp , sallow-faced creature extended upon the bed before him was none other than Sir Brian Malpas -- the brilliant politician whom his leaders had earmarked for office in the next Cabinet ! As Soames stood contemplating him stretched there in his stupor , he found it hard to credit the fact that this was the same man whom political rivals feared for his hard brilliance , whom society courted , and whose engagement to the daughter of a peer had been announced only a few months before . Throughout this time , Soames had made no attempt to seek the light of day : he had not seen a newspaper ; he knew nothing of the hue and cry raised throughout England , of the hunt for the murderer of Mrs. Vernon . He suffered principally from lack of companionship .