Nine o'clock sharp
She begged her not to read too late , and went out , promising to conciliate the offended Mrs. Hofer . As she walked down the hall she stooped absently and picked up a scrap of paper , hardly aware that she held it in her hand until she sat down once more before her mirror . Then she glanced at it . To her surprise it was an advertisement of a prize-fight , cut from a newspaper ; and on the margin an illiterate hand had scrawled , '' _ Nine o'clock sharp . _ '' She wondered which of the servants was indulging in the distractions of the ring . All except Lady Victoria 's maid were Japs . Could the Frenchwoman have found a lover who had introduced her to the forbidden pleasures of the town ?