Two o'clock
The Commercial Road was deserted when Harrison Smith came out of the narrow byway . The chance of finding a conveyance was small but his practical sense suggested turning into the West India Dock Road where , at the gates of the dock , he had the good fortune to secure a dilapidated four-wheeler . Progress was painfully slow and hours seemed to pass before they finally turned out of the broad cobbled highway and passed through the silent empty city . Two o'clock was striking when he dismissed the cab in Piccadilly . At his own rooms in Crown Court , St. James 's , he changed into ordinary clothes and proceeded on foot to Albemarle Street . Before the entrance to Crest Chambers Harrison Smith stopped and broke into a torrent of imprecation . He had forgotten that the downstairs door would be shut .