eleven o'clock
As an entomologist his attainments were said to be remarkable ; he was admittedly an interested student of ethnology ; and he filled in his spare time compounding unholy smells in a little laboratory connected with his suburban home . This latter proceeding earned him the wholesome fear and respect of the native population , who firmly believed him an intimate of many devils . Such , at least , was the superficial man . Now upon the morning of the day that found the steamship _ Poonah _ nuzzling up the Hooghly 's dirty yellow flood , Mr. Labertouche 's clerk arrived at the Dhurrumtollah Street office at the usual hour ; which , in the absence of his employer , was generally between eleven o'clock and noon . Having assorted and disposed of the morning 's mail , he donned his office-coat , sat down , thumbed through Blackstone until he found two perfectly clean pages , opened the volume at that place , tipped back his chair , and with every indication of an untroubled conscience imposed his feet upon the book and began the day 's labours with a cigarette . The window at his right was open , affording an excellent view , from an elevation of one storey , of the tide of traffic ebbing and flowing in Dhurrumtollah Street . The clerk watched it sleepily , between half-closed eyelids .