twelve o'clock
To his surprise , there was a flash of pleasure across her face ; she answered shortly and decidedly , ` Yes ' , then snatched her arm away from him , and passed down stairs . Miss Assher was this morning busy winding silks , being bent on emulating Lady Cheverel 's embroidery , and Lady Assher chose the passive amusement of holding the skeins . Lady Cheverel had now all her working apparatus about her , and Caterina , thinking she was not wanted , went away and sat down to the harpsichord in the sitting-room . It seemed as if playing massive chords -- bringing out volumes of sound , would be the easiest way of passing the long feverish moments before twelve o'clock . Handel 's Messiah stood open on the desk , at the chorus ` All we like sheep ' , and Caterina threw herself at once into the impetuous intricacies of that magnificent fugue . In her happiest moments she could never have played it so well : for now all the passion that made her misery was hurled by a convulsive effort into her music , just as pain gives new force to the clutch of the sinking wrestler , and as terror gives farsounding intensity to the shriek of the feeble . But at half-past eleven she was interrupted by Lady Cheverel , who said , ` Tina , go down , will you , and hold Miss Assher 's silks for her .