one o'clock
Mr. Bellward , Desmond had reflected after his tour of the room on his arrival , evidently laid weight on his personal comfort ; for the contrast between the cheerful comfort of his bedroom and the musty gloom of the rooms downstairs was very marked . A bright log fire hissed on the open hearth and the room was pleasantly warm . Old Martha 's coffee was excellent , and Desmond , very snug in Mr. Bellward 's comfortable bed , noted with regret that the clock on the mantel-shelf marked a quarter to twelve . But then he thought of the tete-a-tete luncheon that awaited him at one o'clock and his face cleared . He did n't mind getting up so much after all . He fell again to the perusal of the documents which he had found , as indicated in the note from headquarters , in the desk by the bed . They were enclosed in two envelopes , one large , the other small , both without any superscription .