nearly eight o'clock
Kitty was lying on the rug , fast asleep , with the doll in her arms . ` I found them like this when I came in , ' whispered Miss Locke ; ` she must have been listening to the music and fallen asleep . How late you have stopped with Phoebe ! it is nearly eight o'clock ! ' ` I do not think the time has been wasted , ' I answered cheerfully , as I bade her good-night and stepped out into the darkness . Is time ever wasted , I wonder , when we stop in our daily work to give one of these weak ones a cup of cold water ? It is not for me to answer ; only our recording angel knows how some such little deed of kindness may brighten some dim struggling life that seems over-full of pain .