six o'clock in the evening, early in October
Pearson and his son Steve were acquainted with the ways of certain gentlemen of Scale , who sailed their yachts from port to port , up and down the Yorkshire coast . Pearson was a man who observed life dispassionately . He asked no questions and answered none . It was six o'clock in the evening , early in October , just three years after Edith 's death . Majendie had left the yacht lying in the creek with Pearson , Steve , and the boatswain on board , and was hurrying along the field path to Three Elms Farm . A thin rain fell , blurring the distances . The house stood humbly , under its three elms .