twelve o'clock
A thought had struck her and she at once put into execution the plan it suggested . She took a parasol and went out of the hotel , hatless and gloveless , into the garden of orange trees which lies between the buildings and the gate . She strolled leisurely along the path towards the exit , on one side of which is the porter 's lodge , while the little square stone box of a building which is the telegraph office stands on the other . She knew that just before twelve o'clock Ruggiero and his brother were generally seated on the bench before the lodge waiting for orders for the afternoon . As she expected , she found them , and she beckoned to Ruggiero and turned back under the trees . In an instant he was at her side . She was startled to see how pale he was and how suddenly his face seemed to have grown thin .