eleven o'clock
When she dared to think about it , she found herself almost believing , certainly at least wishing , that the nephew was not involved in his uncle 's activities . Most of his time , in fact , was spent out of the apartment . He frequently went out early in the morning , not returning until the early hours of the next morning . The old man , on the contrary , always stayed at home until eleven o'clock . At that hour his telephone would ring . The telephone was located near the dining room , so Jane could easily hear his conversations . Invariably some brief message was given to him , a name , which he repeated aloud as if for verification .