the hour of twelve
The screen door banged , Tom had gone to work . The clock struck nine . There came another knock at the door , louder than the previous one , and for a long time she could hear Aunt Maria 's voice speaking in low tones to someone who evidently stood on the steps outside . Somewhere a sharp whistle sounded , and she flew up in bed startled to hear the clock on the mantel counting off the hour of twelve . She must have been asleep . Yes , she surely had been , for on the chair beside her bed stood a tray heaped high with bread and butter , cake and jam . A glass of milk was there also , and she drank it eagerly , for she was thirsty ; but she could not touch the food .