ten o'clock at night
He rose and paced his study in anguish of mind , but his ears were still awake , -- he thought he never should regain the joy of losing himself , -- and now another sound came to them , the sound of wheels . Why did his heart stop , and then beat violently ? What was there in the sound of wheels ? It was the late stage , of course , and Calvin Parks was driving fast , as usual , to get to his home , five miles away , before ten o'clock at night . But that stage came from Tupham , and Tupham meant Rose Ellen . Rose Ellen , who was as smooth as baked custard , and who had a -- the wheels were slacking ; the steady beat of the horses ' feet stopped ; the stage had paused at the Widow Mellen 's door . `` Here we be ! ''