four o'clock
Her brain was like one of those autumn days when clouds hang low , and a dimness broods between sky and earth . True that there were the events of last night -- her search for the chloral , the finding of her scapular , her belief in a special interposition of Providence , and then her resolution to go to confession . It was all there ; she knew it all , but did not want to think about it . She had been thinking for a week , and this was the first respite she had had from thought , and she wished this stupor of brain to continue till four o'clock . That was the time she would have to be at St. Joseph 's . He was generally there at that time . She had lain down on the sofa after breakfast , hoping to sleep a little ; if she did n't , the time would be very long ; but as she dozed , she began to see the thin , worn face and the piercing eyes , and the intonation of his voice began to ring in her ears .