About two o'clock in the morning
She had only to wake Mrs. Dixon -- he showed her where and how . In the dark corridor , amid all its obstructive lumber , these two people who had never seen each other before , man and woman , took anxious counsel for the help of an unconscious third , a complete stranger to both of them . The night nurse gave a dose of morphia according to directions , and sat down on a low chair at the foot of the bed watching her patient . About two o'clock in the morning , just as the darkness was beginning to thin , she was startled by a sound outside . She half rose , and saw the door open to admit a tall and gaunt figure , whom she recognized as the master of the house . She held up an anxious finger , but Melrose advanced in spite of it . His old flowered dressing-gown and gray head came within the range of the night-light , and the nurse saw his shadow projected , grotesque and threatening , on the white traceries of the ceiling .