seven o'clock
He had repeated these words over and over again , and somehow under the heat of his ardor and longing for his native land this hackneyed phrase took on its real and dreadful value . In the sudden sweep of this vital remembrance , Claire Robson rose for a moment above the fretful drip of circumstance ... _ Blood-red Dawn _ ! ... She threw herself back upon her bed and shuddered ... . She rose at seven o'clock , but already the morning had grown pallid and flecked with gray clouds . An apologetic tap came at the door , and the voice of Mrs. Robson repeating a formula that she never varied : `` Better hurry , Claire . If you do n't you 'll be late for the office ! '' As Claire stepped out into the cold sunlight of early November , she smiled bitterly at the exaggeration of last night 's mood .