eight o'clock
He conveyed , civilly and clearly , that he was quite prepared to offer a very special fee for the favour he was asking ; and he indicated that , though he had been told the usual price of a séance was fifty francs , he -- the mysterious stranger who was speaking to Madame d'Elphis through the telephone -- was so exceedingly anxious to be received by her that evening that he would pay a fancy fee , -- in fact as much as a thousand francs , -- for the privilege of consulting the famous fortune-teller . To Vanderlyn 's vexation and surprise , there followed a long pause . At last came the answer , the expected assent ; but it was couched in words which surprised and vaguely disquieted him . `` Very well , sir , my sister will be ready to receive you at eight o'clock to-night ; but she is going out , so she will not be able to give you a prolonged séance . '' Then he had not been speaking to the soothsayer herself ? Vanderlyn felt vaguely disquieted and discomfited . He had counted on having to take but one person into his half-confidence ; and then -- well , he had told himself while at the telephone that he would not find it difficult to conclude the bargain he desired to make with the woman whose highly-pitched , affected voice had given him , or so he had thought , the clue to a venal personality .