three in the morning
We had lost the sound of the carriage . Heriot fell to musing . He remarked that the accident took away from Mr. Salter the responsibility of delivering him at Surrey House , but that he , Heriot , was bound , for Mr. Salter 's sake , to conduct me to the doors ; an unintelligible refinement of reasoning , to my wits . We reached our town between two and three in the morning . There was a ladder leaning against one of the houses in repair near the school . ` You are here , are you ! ' said Heriot , speaking to the ladder : ` you 'll do me a service -- the last I shall want in the neighbourhood . '