nine o'clock
And she meant it . Although Mary Raymond had deliberately snapped the chain that bound her to Mignon La Salle , she now found herself confronted by a far more difficult task . How was she to return little Charlie to Gray Gables without meeting Constance Stevens or another member of her family ? It was not yet nine o'clock . It was , therefore , barely possible that Charlie had not been missed . Perhaps Constance and her aunt were not at home . It stood to reason that if they had been , Charlie would never have succeeded in slipping away and following John Roland to his evening 's assignment .