nine o'clock p.m
`` Oh , do n't call me ` Miss Julia , ' '' she laughed ; `` that sounds like a maiden aunt . '' He colored ; his breaks were coming too thickly . They wandered down the lawn-walk to the gate , and there Nelson bade her good-night by shaking hands . He knew she would be in the bank next day , but handshakes are always in order after nine o'clock p.m. . As he walked along Mt. Alban 's quietest and prettiest street toward the bank a peculiar sense of loneliness and guilt possessed him . He suggested to himself that he only regarded Julia as a friend , and that knowing people like the Waterseas was necessary to his success as a banker . Of course he intended to pay his way along ; he would always give Julia candy and take her out , in return for her kindness to him .