two o’clock
The trouble that lay in the depths of her heart choked her ; she experienced an irresistible need of confiding in some one , and she judged that the man who was talking to her was one of those men to whom a woman can tell her secret , one of those souls to whom she could pour out her shame without blushing . She began , in a broken voice , a confused , disconnected recital that Camille could scarcely follow . However , he finally understood ; he felt himself divided between an immense pity for her despair , and a fierce lover 's joy that tightened his throat and well-nigh strangled him . The belfry of Cormeilles had recovered its voice ; two o'clock rang out on the air . Antoinette rose and exclaimed : `` I was to meet him at the pretty little gate that you see from here ! He will have the right to be angry if I keep him waiting . '' At once she hastened towards the balustered steps that led from the terrace to the orchard .