nine o'clock
Suppose , if the ladies consent , we make up a party , to view it , to-morrow ? '' The proposition was received with approbation by all , and it was agreed , that they would meet at the house of Mr. Armstrong , as the starting-point , on the afternoon of the next day . The evening being now considerably advanced , Faith 's friends took their leave . The nine o'clock bell was ringing , as the young people passed through the quiet streets . The custom of ringing a bell , at that hour , is one which has fallen into desuetude , although , once , almost universal in New England , and may be said to bear some relation to the vesper-bell , in Roman Catholic countries . Its avowed object , indeed , was not , as in the case of the latter , to call the people to prayers , but , its effect , perhaps , was the same ; for , it marked the hour at which the population of the village were in the habit of retiring to rest ; and , in those days of simple faith , many were the families whose members united together , before seeking their pillows , to return thanks for the blessings of the day , and ask for protection during the defenceless hours of the night . Luxury and dissipation have since crept in , and parties assemble , now , at an hour when they formerly broke up .