a quarter after nine o'clock
By eight o'clock it was black outside . In that blackness there was an occasional flash of lightning and rumble of thunder . On the roof of the barracks the rain beat steadily and monotonously . His watch was in his hand -- it was a quarter after nine o'clock , when he heard the door at the far exit of the hall open and close . He had heard it a dozen times since supper and paid no attention to it , but this time it was followed by a voice at the detachment office that hit him like an electrical shock . Then , a moment later , came low laughter . It was a woman who laughed .