three o’clock
The lawyer 's warning to her to be careful how she yielded too readily to any proposal of Moody 's recurred to Isabel 's mind while she read those lines . Being pledged to secrecy , she could not consult Mr. Troy -- she was left to decide for herself . No obstacle stood in the way of her free choice of alternatives . After their early dinner at three o'clock , Miss Pink habitually retired to her own room `` to meditate , '' as she expressed it . Her `` meditations '' inevitably ended in a sound sleep of some hours ; and during that interval Isabel was at liberty to do as she pleased . After considerable hesitation , her implicit belief in Moody 's truth and devotion , assisted by a strong feeling of curiosity to see the companion with whom the steward had associated himself , decided Isabel on consenting to keep the appointment . Taking up her position beyond the houses , on the day and at the hour mentioned by Moody , she believed herself to be fully prepared for the most unfavorable impression which the most disagreeable of all possible strangers could produce .