ten o’clock precisely
He fixed in his mind ten o'clock as the earliest possible hour at which he could venture to have the note delivered , and until then he must needs have patience . When he went to place his missive in the hands of the concierge , with instructions for the time of its delivery , the servants had only just begun to stir about the house . He had come down great-coated and gloved , as if for an early walk , but the walk was no more than a pretext to allay some remotely imaginable suspicion on the part of the concierge . ` Imust leave this with you now , ' he said , ` because it must be delivered at ten o'clock precisely , and I shall probably not be able to return till later . The messenger will wait for an answer . ' The man promised that his instructions should be obeyed , and he walked into the streets feeling quite aimless and forlorn , and with the fatigues of the night still heavy on him . He had not gone far when he found a fiacre , and bade the man drive to the Bois and back , and fill up two hours with the journey .