five o'clock
`` Must n't it ? '' said Mrs. Tailleur . The next day it rained , fitfully at first , at the will of a cold wind that dragged clouds out of heaven . A gleam of sunshine in the afternoon , then wild rain driven slantwise by the gusts ; and now , at five o'clock , no wind at all , but a straight , soaking downpour . The guests at the Cliff Hotel were all indoors . Colonel Hankin and his wife were reading in a corner of the lounge . Mr. Soutar , the clergyman , was dozing over a newspaper by an imaginary fire .