nearly eight o'clock
Had she a secret lover ? That idea struck me suddenly , and staggered me . In some of her recent actions I read secrecy and suspicion . On several occasions lately she had been out shopping alone , and one afternoon , about a week before , she had not returned to dress for dinner until nearly eight o'clock . Her excuse had been a thin one , but , unsuspicious , I had passed it by . Had I really been a fool to marry her , after all ? I knew Marlowe 's opinion of our marriage , though he had never expressed it .