five o'clock
Whereupon Miss Hender took a view less carnal , and the two women discussed how old Mrs. Ede might be given the slip . The idea of the walk was not approved of ; it was too simple ; but on this point Kate would take no advice , although she accepted the suggestion that she was to go upstairs , and under the pretext of changing her petticoat , should fold her hat into her mantle and tie the two behind her just as she would a bustle ; an ingenious device , but difficult to put into practice . Ralph was out of bed , and , having been deprived of speech for more than a week , he followed Kate into the back room , worrying her with questions about the shop , his health , his mother , and Mr. Lennox . At five o'clock Mrs. Ede came up to say she was going up the town to do a little marketing for Sunday , and to ask Kate to come down to the front kitchen , where she could be in sight of the shop . Miss Hender said nothing could have happened more fortunately , and , with many instructions as to where they should meet , she hurried away . But she was no sooner gone than Kate remembered she had no one to leave in charge of the shop . She should have asked one of the apprentices , but she had n't , and would have to turn the key in the door and leave her mother-in-law to come in by the side way .