nine o'clock
What if the young man 's greedy old father-in-law had tried to separate them on account of the monetary trust lodged in Robert Audley 's hands ? Or what if , since even in these civilized days all kinds of unsuspected horrors are constantly committed -- what if the old man had decoyed George down to Southampton , and made away with him in order to get possession of that £ 20,000 , left in Robert 's custody for little Georgey 's use ? But neither of these suppositions explained the telegraphic message , and it was the telegraphic message which had filled Robert 's mind with a vague sense of alarm . The postman brought no letter from George Talboys , and the person who had knocked at the door of the chambers did not return between seven and nine o'clock , so Robert Audley left Figtree Court once more in search of his friend . This time he told the cabman to drive to the Euston Station , and in twenty minutes he was on the platform , making inquiries about the trains . The Liverpool express had started half an hour before he reached the station , and he had to wait an hour and a quarter for a slow train to take him to his destination . Robert Audley chafed cruelly at this delay .