nine o'clock
`` De good Lord keep you safe , Miss Edie , '' said Hannibal , tremblingly . `` You ` se know I 'd die for you in a minit ; but I ` se could n't wateh for a spook nohow , '' and Hannibal crept away , looking as if the very worst had now befallen them . Edith was too weary and sad even to smile at the absurd superstition of her old servant , for with her practical , positive nature she could scarcely understand how even the most ignorant could harbor such delusions . She said to Laura , `` Let me sleep till nine o'clock , and then I will watch till morning . '' Laura did not waken her till ten . After Edith had shaken off her lethargy , she said , `` Why , Laura , you look ready to faint ! '' With a despairing little cry , Laura threw herself on the floor , and buried her face in her sister 's lap , sobbing : `` I am ready to faint -- body and soul .