eleven o'clock
With the closing of the front door behind him the exile came to a standstill on the top step and looked about him . Across the park -- beyond the trees , close sheltered under the wide protecting roof , lay Kate . All the weary miles out and back had this picture been fixed in his mind . She was doubtless asleep as it was now past eleven o'clock : he would know by the lights . But even the sight of the roof that sheltered her would , in itself , be a comfort . It had been many long years since he had breathed the same air with her ; slept under the same stars ; walked where her feet had trodden . For some seconds he stood undecided .