about nine o'clock
Still the same blank wall met him . `` I ca n't stay indoors any longer , '' he muttered . `` I must get out into the open air . '' It was now about nine o'clock , and , almost heedless whither he went , he found his way into the heart of the town . Judge Bolitho had by this time become an almost familiar figure among the people of Brunford . He had gone all over the town making inquiries . He had spent much time in the neighbourhood of Paul 's factory making investigations .