nine o'clock
And my nerves , on the rack for these three days , with the culmination of the last six hours seemed suddenly to snap within me . `` Go home and rest now , '' said Father Le Claire . `` I will take the word along the line . Come down to the tavern at nine o'clock . '' Aunt Candace had hot coffee and biscuit and maple syrup from old Vermont , with ham and eggs , all ready for me . The blessed comfort of a home , safe from harm once more , filled me with a sense of rest . Not until it was lifted did I realize how heavy was the burden I had carried through those May nights and days .