about nine o'clock
It was snowing heavily , but I never noticed the fact . Neither did I realise that I had abandoned my post at a critical and dangerous moment , and left my friends on the platform to explain to a puzzled and angry audience why the Candidate had run away without answering their questions . But there are deeper things than politics . Phillis , we learned from Dolly , had been attacked by violent pains early in the evening ; and about nine o'clock there had been a sudden rise of temperature , with slight delirium , followed by a complete and alarming collapse . Dr Farquharson had been sent for , hot-foot , from Stridge 's platform , and his first proceeding had been to summon me from mine . He was waiting for us in the hall of the hotel when we arrived , and Kitty and I took him into our sitting-room and , parent-like , begged to be told `` the worst . '' The doctor -- a dour and deliberate Scot -- declined to be positive , but `` doubted '' it might be perityphlitis .