about 8 o’clock
`` And now that our introductions are over , '' he added , `` you will allow me , Monsieur Paganel , to ask you a question ? '' `` Twenty , my Lord , '' replied Paganel ; `` it will always be a pleasure to converse with you . '' `` Was it last evening that you came on board this vessel ? '' `` Yes , my Lord , about 8 o'clock . I jumped into a cab at the Caledonian Railway , and from the cab into the SCOTIA , where I had booked my cabin before I left Paris . It was a dark night , and I saw no one on board , so I found cabin No. 6 , and went to my berth immediately , for I had heard that the best way to prevent sea-sickness is to go to bed as soon as you start , and not to stir for the first few days ; and , moreover , I had been traveling for thirty hours . So I tucked myself in , and slept conscientiously , I assure you , for thirty-six hours . ''