seven o'clock
It is very precious , because it belonged to my father . '' She looked into `` Realization , '' but its cool calmness failed to grip her at first , and she lay back in her chair , the breeze fanning her hair , the deep blue of the sky flecked with little cirrus clouds above her as she dreamed . Presently the schoolmaster went below for tea , and she was left alone . She had decided that she did not want tea ; after this quiet place the saloon seemed too noisy , and now that seven o'clock was drawing nearer she was feeling rather frightened . The gold in the air was collected into a great ball that turned crimson in the west , touching the crests of the waves with red as though blood had been splashed upon them , setting Marcella 's hair afire , turning her white frock rosy-pink . Two bells sounded , and the sea and the sky grew deep blue , while shadows began to slink about the decks and stalk over the water ; grey veils fell over the western sky , and she sat up straight , wondering where Louis was . Quarter-past seven -- twenty-past -- and the quick twilight with its message of melancholy was almost past .