a
quarter to seven
I am glad to hear they are being well brought up , '' said the squire ; and then he turned to Jonquil and asked for his letters . Mr. Fairfax 's letters were brought to him , and after glancing cursorily through the batch , he gathered them all up and went off to his private room . Bessie conjectured that he would be busy for the rest of the afternoon , and she took a walk in the park until dusk , when she returned to the house and retired to her own parlor . The dressing-bell rang at a quarter to seven , as usual , and Mrs. Betts came to assist at her young lady 's toilet . Being dressed , Bessie descended to the octagon room , which she found empty . It was a fine , frosty night , and the sky was full of stars . She put aside a curtain and looked out into the wintry garden , feeling more than ever alone and desolate amidst the grandeur of her home .