nine
o'clock
But it was nearly sundown , and there were many miles yet to travel before they reached the hotel where they had expected to dine and stay over night . `` Shall we go on , Mother ? '' said Mr. Farrington . `` Can you wait until nine o'clock or thereabouts for your dinner ? Or shall we stop at some farmhouse , and so keep ourselves from starvation ? '' `` I would rather go on , '' said Mrs. Farrington , `` if the girls do n't mind . '' The girls did n't mind , and so they plunged ahead while the sun set and the darkness fell .