eleven o'clock
Mark my words , Carry . I 'm running ahead of the times a little , but I can see it all as clearly as if it existed now . '' Mrs. Merrill went about her duties that morning with a heavy heart , and more than once she paused to wipe away a tear that would have fallen on the linen she was sorting . At eleven o'clock the doorbell rang , and Ellen appeared at the entrance to the linen closet with a card in her hand . Mrs. Merrill looked at it with a flurry of surprise . It read : -- MISS LUCRETIA PENNIMAN The Woman 's Hour It was certainly affinity that led Miss Lucretia to choose the rosewood sofa of a bygone age , which was covered with horsehair .