About an hour before noon
But we might go on forever touching the elusive chords of Mr. MacGentle 's being ; one can not help loving him , or , if he be not real enough to love , bestowing upon him such affection as is inspired by some gentle symphony . Unfortunately , he figures but little in the coming pages , and in no active part ; such , indeed , were unsuited to him . But it is pleasant to pass through his retired little office on our way to scenes less peaceful and subdued ; and we would gladly look forward to seeing him once more , when the heat of the day is over and the sun has gone down . About an hour before noon on this same twenty-seventh of May , Mr. Dyke heard a voice in the outer room . He had held his position in the house as confidential clerk for nearly or quite twenty-five years , was blessed with a good memory , and was fond of saying that he never forgot a face or a voice . So , as this voice from the outer room reached his ears , he turned one eye up towards the door and muttered , `` Heard that before , somewhere ! '' The ground-glass panel darkened , and the door was thrown wide open .