the hour of ten
Do n't tell any one what I have just told you , for I want to make all my preliminary arrangements before I astound the world with the announcement of what I am going to do . '' `` You need n't laugh , '' answered Rose . `` I guess that it will dismay plenty of Back Bay families who have babies . '' There was a catch in her voice as she bade him good-night , and she was not sorry for an excuse for running into the hospital , offered by the mellow notes of a distant church clock tolling the hour of ten . It was the signal for `` lights out '' in the bedrooms , and this was appreciated , too , for it made it possible for her to undress in the dark , and the pale moonlight which came in through the window , as the moon played hide and seek behind the broken masses of storm clouds -- for the blizzard had ended as quickly as it had come on -- was reflected on two glistening tear drops on her flushed cheeks . In the darkness her roommate could not see them and be led to ask questions . The two girls , one the self-educated , unknown child of the southern mountain side , the other the college-bred daughter of one of New England 's oldest families , had become fast friends and generally exchanged whispered confidences until the sleep which comes of physical exhaustion speedily claimed them ; but to-night Rose was in no mood for conversation .