about ten o'clock
` Trust the Lord and keep your powder dry ' is a pretty good maxim for the surgical firing line , too -- eh ? '' With his arm through his wife 's he paced several times up and down the flowery borders , then went away into the small laboratory and machine shop where he was accustomed to do much of the work which showed only in its final results . Through the rest of the hot August evening , his attire stripped to the lowest terms compatible with possible unexpected visitors , he laboured with all the enthusiasm characteristic of him at tasks which to another mind would have been drudgery indeed . To him , at about ten o'clock , came his neighbour and friend , Arthur Chester . Standing with arms on the sill outside of the lighted window , clad in summer vestments of white and looking as cool and fresh as the man inside looked hot and dirty , Chester attempted to lure the worker forth . `` Win 's serving a lot of cold , wet stuff on our porch , '' he announced . `` Ellen 's there , and the Macauleys , and Jord King has just driven up and stopped for a minute .