midday on the
first of May
That evening she wrote a note to her husband , saying that she felt that change of air was necessary for her , and that she was going out of London for a few days , to some quiet place , from whence she would write to him . He must not , however , expect many letters , as she wanted complete rest . On the following morning she went ; and , if the sweet spring air did not bring peace to her mind , at any rate , it to a very great extent set up her in strength . She wrote but one letter during her absence , and that was to say that she should be back in London by midday on the first of May . This letter reached Philip on the morning of the great dinner-party , and was either accidentally or on purpose sent without the writer 's address . On the morning of the first of May -- that is , two days after the dinner-party , which was given on the twenty-ninth of April -- Hilda rose early , and commenced to pack her things with the assistance of a stout servant girl , who did all the odd jobs and a great deal of the work in the old-fashioned farmhouse in which she was staying . Presently the cowboy came whistling up the little garden , bright with crocuses and tulips , that lay in front of the house , and knocked at the front door .