eight o’clock
The opiate soon had its effect ; and with a sigh of relief Ruth heard her mother 's regular breathing . It was now her turn to suffer openly the fox-wounds . Louis had said she would hear to-night ; but at what time ? It was now eight o'clock , and the bell might ring at any moment . Mrs. Levice slept ; and Ruth sat dry-eyed and alert , feeling her heart rise to her throat every time the windows shook or the doors rattled . It was one of the wildest nights San Francisco ever experienced ; trees groaned , gates slammed , and a perfect war of the elements was abroad . The wailing wind about the house haunted her like the desolate cry of some one begging for shelter .