Nearly midnight
But hours , however sad , will wear themselves away , and so the day went on , succeeded by the night , until that too had passed and another day had come , the second of Katy 's ocean life . At the farmhouse the work was all done up , and Helen in her neat gingham dress , with her bands of brown hair bound about her head , sat listlessly at her sewing , when she was startled by the sound of wheels , and looking up saw the boy employed to carry packages from the express office , driving to their door with a trunk , which he said had come that morning from Boston . In some surprise Helen hastened to unlock it with the key which she found appended to it . The trunk was full , and over the whole a linen towel was folded , while on the top of that lay a letter in Katy 's handwriting , directed to Helen , who , sitting down upon the floor , broke the seal and read aloud as follows : `` BOSTON , June -- , Revere House , `` Nearly midnight . `` MY DEAR SISTER HELEN : I have just come in from a little party given by one of Mrs. Harvey 's friends , and I am so tired , for you know I am not accustomed to such late hours . Wilford says I will get accustomed to them , that in New York they are seldom in bed before eleven or twelve , but I never shall . It will kill me , I am sure , and yet I rather enjoy the sitting up if I did not feel so wretchedly next day .