about nine o'clock in the evening
She fought against the implication inwardly , but made no remark whatever as the news was being discussed . But , as the day wore on , the unnatural stillness of the house seemed to weigh her down with its oppressiveness , and she caught herself listening to every sound with strained ears and every nerve on the alert . She did not dare venture into the next door to make inquiries , not knowing how much they might be blaming her for Hugh 's sudden illness ; and the added trouble and anxiety his sickness necessarily caused , left no time for the Gurney girls to run in with a report of his condition . Consequently , when Lancy appeared about nine o'clock in the evening , Dexie 's eyes asked the question her lips had not power to form . `` Hugh is no better -- worse , if possible , '' and Lancy 's face was as white as Dexie 's own . `` He keeps calling for you in his delirium ; he seems to think you are drowned or worse , and reaches out to catch you . It takes two to hold him sometimes . ''