a quarter before
eight
`` It -- it looked like Frederic Hoff , '' faltered the girl . `` It was Frederic Hoff , '' corrected her companion , `` Frederic Hoff in the uniform of a British officer , a British cavalry captain ! '' Masked by an enormous pair of motor goggles and further shielded from recognition by a cap drawn down almost over his nose , Thomas Dean in a basket-rigged motorcycle impatiently sat awaiting the arrival of Jane Strong at a corner they had agreed upon the evening before . He had been particularly insistent that Jane should be on hand at a quarter before eight . He had learned by judicious inquiries that always on Wednesdays -- at least on the Wednesdays previous -- the Hoffs had started off on their mysterious trips at eight sharp . His intention was to get away ahead of them and pick them up somewhere outside the city limits . Jane had promised that she would be on hand promptly .