Ten o'clock
_ '' It was damp here in the hollow where the road dipped down . A chill ran coldly over me . Arrived at the garage which had taken the place of our tumble-down barn , I put the car away as quietly as possible . Ten o'clock had struck as I passed through the last village , and our household was asleep . Moving without unnecessary noise , I crossed to the house . Bagheera , the cat , padded across the porch to meet me and rubbed himself around my legs while I stooped to put the latch-key in the lock . As the key slid in place , I heard the waterfall over the dam abruptly change the sound of its flow , swelling and accelerating as when a gust of wind hurries a greater volume of water over the brink .