ten o'clock
Once possessed with the idea that he would not return , the poor wife was in an agony of fear . No suggestion made by her aunt in the least relieved her mind . One thought -- one fear -- absorbed every thing else . Thus passed the evening , until ten o'clock came . From that time Esther began to listen anxiously for her husband 's return , but hour after hour went by , and she was still a tearful watcher . `` I shall go mad if I sit here any longer ! '' murmured Huntley to himself , as the music came rushing upon his agitated soul , in a wild tempest , toward the middle of the opera , and , rising abruptly , he retired from the theatre .