Three o’clock
`` It will be exactly as he said , '' thought she , so deeply was she impressed with the authority , energy and assurance of that remarkable man . To her , it no longer assumed the form of a miracle , but , on the contrary , a natural incident that must occur in the ordinary course of events . She blushed , and turned her head . Three o'clock ! The great clock struck slowly : one ... . two ... . three ... Horace Velmont took out his watch , glanced at the clock , then returned the watch to his pocket .