nearly twelve o'clock
She was not on the Sunday evening before Easter among the guests in Great Stanhope Street ; but if she had been Julia 's singular indifference to observation would have stopped short of encouraging her to remain in the drawing-room , along with Nick , after the others had gone . I may add that Mrs. Gresham 's extreme curiosity would have emboldened her as little to do so . She would have taken for granted that the pair wished to be alone together , though she would have regarded this only as a snippet . The company had at all events stayed late , and it was nearly twelve o'clock when the last of them , standing before the fire in the room they had quitted , broke out to his companion : `` See here , Julia , how long do you really expect me to endure this kind of thing ? '' Julia made him no answer ; she only leaned back in her chair with her eyes upon his . He met her gaze a moment ; then he turned round to the fire and for another moment looked into it . After this he faced his hostess again with the exclamation : `` It 's so foolish -- it 's so damnably foolish ! ''