four o'clock
It was said that Mrs. Holton emerged from Amzi 's house daily to take the air . She had been observed by credible witnesses at the stamp window of the post-office ; again , she had bought violets at the florist 's ; she had been seen walking across the Madison campus . The attendants in the new Carnegie library had been thrilled by a visit from a strange lady who could have been none other than Mrs. Holton . At four o'clock on the afternoon of January 2 , Mrs. Holton drank a cup of bouillon at Struby 's counter , informed the white-jacketed attendant that it was excellent , and crossed Main Street to Montgomery 's Bank under the admiring eyes of a dozen young collegians who happened to be loafing in the drug-store . Amzi escorted his sister at once to his private room at the rear , poked the fire , buttoned his coat and sat down . `` Well , Lois , how goes it ? '' His question was the one he habitually asked his customers , and he had no idea that anything of importance had happened to his sister since he left her at one o'clock .