nearly
nine o'clock
And now , my poor Watson , here we are , stranded and friendless in this inhospitable town , which we can not leave without abandoning our case . This little inn just opposite Armstrong 's house is singularly adapted to our needs . If you would engage a front room and purchase the necessaries for the night , I may have time to make a few inquiries . '' These few inquiries proved , however , to be a more lengthy proceeding than Holmes had imagined , for he did not return to the inn until nearly nine o'clock . He was pale and dejected , stained with dust , and exhausted with hunger and fatigue . A cold supper was ready upon the table , and when his needs were satisfied and his pipe alight he was ready to take that half comic and wholly philosophic view which was natural to him when his affairs were going awry . The sound of carriage wheels caused him to rise and glance out of the window .