nine o'clock
Down the clean steps went Dr. Max that morning , a big man , almost as tall as K. Le Moyne , eager of life , strong and a bit reckless , not fine , perhaps , but not evil . He had the same zest of living as Sidney , but with this difference -- the girl stood ready to give herself to life : he knew that life would come to him . All-dominating male was Dr. Max , that morning , as he drew on his gloves before stepping into his car . It was after nine o'clock . K. Le Moyne had been an hour at his desk . The McKee napkins lay ironed in orderly piles . Nevertheless , Dr. Max was suffering under a sense of defeat as he rode downtown .