nine o'clock
Bess has the car and papa the carriage , so there is no danger but that I shall fit in somewhere . '' It was , nevertheless , much against the better judgment of Jack Kimball that he left his sister and Belle , and joined his companions bound for the bowling alleys . He did not mention to either Ed or Walter his fears for the comfort of Cora , should she be visited by the detective , but they both noticed that he was not quite his jolly self , and that he seemed to take little interest in their conversation or the sport at the alleys . It was now almost nine o'clock , and , as Belle and Cora sat on the porch , enjoying the moonlight , in spite of their disturbed state of mind , they began to feel that the detective scare had been unfounded . `` I ca n't see why they would ask where you lived , '' said Belle , `` if they did not intend to call on you . '' At that moment a runabout turned into the driveway . Startled , the girls sprang from their seats and hurried forward to see who might be coming .