one o'clock
Offer what he might , she would not accept it ; but the secret chagrin that was upon her would be removed . Love would no longer be the privilege of other women . To reject a lover in so many respects desirable , whom so many women might envy her , would fortify her self-esteem , and enable her to go forward in the chosen path with firmer tread . It was one o'clock ; the fire had died out and she began to shiver with cold . But a trembling of joy at the same time went through her limbs ; again she had the sense of exultation , of triumph . She would not dismiss him peremptorily . He should prove the quality of his love , if love it were .