nine o'clock
`` I had too much sand under me , '' she answered , with a giggle which threatened to become hysterical . The next mile was apparently endless , and Theodora , as she looked this way and that with stealthy , fearful glances , felt that the terrors of the darkness almost swallowed up the pain in her ankle . Underneath the rest , moreover , was the anxiety in regard to the delay . She knew the strictness of her father 's discipline well enough to fear his displeasure and alarm , when nine o'clock passed and half-past nine , and still they did not appear . Strange to say , the pain in her foot grew less and less unbearable , as she plodded along the sandy road . The sand was everywhere ; it filled her shoes and made each step drag more heavily . She felt as if they only crawled along , as if the moments raced by them on wings .