four o'clock
I would rather suspect my own son were he still alive . But poor Howard is gone . '' Sudden tears sprang into the broker 's eyes , which he as suddenly brushed away , afraid that some customer might drop in and see his weakness . Hal did not leave the office until after four o'clock , there being a number of things to be written up before he could go . Hardwick had gone an hour before , and Hal did not know in what direction . There being nothing else to do , Hal proceeded leisurely up to his boarding-house , never dreaming of the surprise in store for him . The streets were filled with snow , and he enjoyed the jingle of the sleigh-bells and the bustle of metropolitan life around him .