two o'clock
sighed Holmes , as he mopped his forehead on arriving finally at our old rooms on Baker Street , about a quarter after eleven that Friday morning . `` Same here , Holmes . You have nothing on me in that respect , '' I said , as I threw off my coat and put on my well-worn lavender smoking jacket , preparatory to sitting down in my old chair and enjoying a good , quiet , peaceful smoke before luncheon , far from the madding diamond-thieves ' ignoble strife . After luncheon , served by our old reliable landlady , Mrs. Hudson , who still did business at the old stand unmoved by the shame that had recently come to the noble House of Puddingham , we played chess until two o'clock , when the mail-carrier brought us an envelope addressed to Holmes , with an earl 's coronet engraved on it . Tearing it open , Holmes found it to be a short note from our late host and friend the Earl , with a thin , pale blue check for twenty thousand perfectly good pounds sterling enclosed with it , drawn on the Bank of England , filled out in Thorneycroft 's handwriting , and signed , as per the nobiliary custom , with simply the one word : `` Puddingham . '' `` And the date of the check is April 12 , 1912 , Watson . And now I 'm going to keep my promise I made to you out in the woods yesterday morning back of the castle , '' smiled Holmes , `` I split with you fifty-fifty .