A Hope Dashed
The next day, Wednesday, saw Robert become more frustrated. He would fluctuate
between high hopes of finding Evelyn and unmitigated despair when he was almost
ready to desist in his search. The phone calls had elicited almost nothing. He
had rushed to one women's residence when the clerk described a girl who might
just be Evelyn. The desk clerk phoned her room on the pretext that she had
special delivery letter. Robert waited in the commodious lobby, replete with
antiquated pieces of furniture. He watched in a discreet distance as she came
down the stairs. One look at her wan face, slovenly dress and disheveled hair
was enough to inform Robert that he needed no further scrutiny. She could not
be his impeccable Evelyn.

brass tacks--the real problem or situation.
After some moments of congenial levity, they got down to brass tacks.