four o'clock
You 'd better not be running into the ` Courier ' office too much now that you 're with me . They have n't got on to that yet , but they 'll give us a twist when they do . '' Dan had been admitted to the ante-chamber of Bassett 's confidence , but he was to be permitted to advance a step further . At four o'clock he was surprised by the appearance of Atwill , the `` Courier 's '' manager . Dan had no acquaintance with Atwill , whose advent had been coincident with the `` Courier 's '' change of ownership shortly after Dan 's tentative connection with the paper began . Atwill had rarely visited the editorial department , but it was no secret that he exercised general supervision of the paper . It had been whispered among the reporters that every issue was read carefully in proof by Atwill , but Dan had never been particularly interested in this fact .