two o'clock
He was a man considerably older than his questioner , with long , nervous face , and thick black hair streaked with grey . His fingers were bony , his complexion , for a soldier , curiously sallow , and notwithstanding his height , which was considerable , he was awkward , at times almost uncouth . His voice was hard and unsympathetic , and his contributions to the tea-table talk had been almost negligible . `` I was up until two o'clock , as it happened , '' he replied , `` but I knew nothing about the matter until it was brought to my notice officially . '' Helen Fairclough , who was doing the honours for Lady Cranston , her absent hostess , assumed the slight air of superiority to which the circumstances of the case entitled her . `` I heard it distinctly , '' she declared ; `` in fact it woke me up . I hung out of the window , and I could hear the engine just as plainly as though it were over the golf links . ''