twelve o’clock
She was sure of that . With his heart beating violently , and apprehending he knew not what disaster , Nicholas returned to where he had left Smike . Newman had not been home . He would n't be , till twelve o'clock ; there was no chance of it . Was there no possibility of sending to fetch him if it were only for an instant , or forwarding to him one line of writing to which he might return a verbal reply ? That was quite impracticable . He was not at Golden Square , and probably had been sent to execute some commission at a distance .