nearly eight o'clock
`` I am entirely at your service , Miss Howland , '' he added ; `` which is to say , I have alighted . '' She did not answer at once . Instead she leaned forward with her hands supporting her chin , her elbows in her lap , gazing solemnly at the western stars . `` It is nearly eight o'clock , is n't it ? '' she asked , without moving her head . `` Yes , '' replied Dan , `` about that . Why ? ''