eleven o'clock
In response there appeared a young Chinaman with close-cropped hair and attired in evening dress . `` A pot of tea , '' ordered Howland ; and under his breath he added , `` Pretty deuced good for a wilderness town ! I wonder -- '' He looked about him curiously . Although it was only eleven o'clock the place appeared to be empty . Yet Howland was reasonably assured that it was not empty . He was conscious of sensing in a vague sort of way the presence of others somewhere near him . He was sure that there was a faint , acrid odor lurking above that of burned incense , and he shrugged his shoulders with conviction when he paid a dollar for his pot of tea .