midnight
Of course , my contemplated visit to Thorndyke was out of the question . I should have to act on my own responsibility . But in the hurry and rush and anxiety of the work -- for some of the cases were severe and even critical -- I had no opportunity to consider any course of action , nor time to carry it out . Even with the aid of a hansom which I chartered , as Stillbury kept no carriage , I had not finished my last visit until near on midnight , and was then so spent with fatigue that I fell asleep over my postponed supper . As the next day opened with a further increase of work , I sent a telegram to Dr. Stillbury at Hastings , whither he had gone , like a wise man , to recruit after a slight illness . I asked for authority to engage an assistant , but the reply informed me that Stillbury himself was on his way to town ; and to my relief , when I dropped in at the surgery for a cup of tea , I found him rubbing his hands over the open day-book . `` It 's an ill wind that blows nobody good , '' he remarked cheerfully as we shook hands .