four o'clock
If Mrs. Owen began to suspect that something unusual was to happen , she showed no sign of it , but she obediently went up and put on her black gown , with the thin sleeves , while Peggy and Alice dressed up in their best white frocks . Peggy wore a blue sash and Alice a pink one . `` It will be great to get mother out of the house , '' said Peggy . `` I 'll telephone to Miss Pauline that she is coming , so she can slip out before she gets there , and Mr. Thornton can keep mother until four o'clock , and then he and Bruno can walk back with her . '' `` That will be great , '' said Alice . Mrs. Owen was disappointed not to find Pauline at home , and she was going to call on Mrs. Carter when Mr. Thornton invited her in with such a courtly bow that she could not refuse . She noticed that he gave an uneasy glance at the clock , from time to time .