eleven o’clock
He walked swiftly down the stair and was quickly reabsorbed into the flood of comfortless clammy humanity which ebbed and flowed along the Strand . The morning was bright and spring-like . A pale blue sky arched over London , with a few gauzy white clouds drifting lazily across it . At eleven o'clock Brown might have been seen entering the Patent Office with a great roll of parchment , diagrams , and plans under his arm . At twelve he emerged again smiling , and , opening his pocket-book , he packed away very carefully a small slip of official blue paper . At five minutes to one his cab rolled into Victoria Station . Two giant canvas-covered parcels , like enormous kites , were handed down by the cabman from the top , and consigned to the care of a guard .