About six o'clock
That he could have missed her seemed impossible , for even while eating his meals he remained by the window . Perchance she had left home very early in the morning , but it was unlikely . Through the afternoon it rained : the gloomy sky intensified his fatigue and despondence . About six o'clock , exhausted in mind and body , he had allowed his attention to stray , when the sudden clang of a street organ startled him . His eyes turned in the wonted direction -- and instantly he sprang up . To clutch his hat , to rush from the room and from the house , occupied but a moment . There , walking away on the other side , was Eve .