the hour of two
My name is Mr. Demorest . And you are my little neighbor , perhaps ? '' `` Third floor on the right , '' said Nance , adding in a business-like tone , `` I 'll be down to dance to-night . '' She would have liked very much to stay longer , for the old gentleman was quite unlike any one she had ever talked to before , but the card in her hand named the hour of two , and back of the card was Mrs. Purdy , and back of Mrs. Purdy the juvenile court , the one thing in life so far whose authority Nance had seen fit to acknowledge . At the corner Dan Lewis stood aside like a deposed chieftain while his companions knelt in an excited ring , engrossed in a game sanctioned by custom and forbidden by law . Even to Nance 's admiring eye he looked dirtier and more ragged than usual , and his scowl deepened as she approached . `` I ai n't goin ' , '' he said .