Nine o'clock
But , whatever explanation he could make for himself , he was none the less irrationally wretched . He bathed , dressed , and sat down to his solitary meal in a state of tension and agitation indescribable . All the exaltation , the courage of the night , was gone . Nine o'clock , ten o'clock , and no sign of Catherine . ` Your mistress must have been detained somewhere , ' he said as quietly and carelessly as he could to Susan , the parlour-maid , who had been with them since their marriage . ` Leave breakfast things for one . ' ` Mistress took a cup of milk when she went out , cook says , ' observed the little maid with a consoling intention , wondering the while at the rector 's haggard mien and restless movements .