nine o'clock
The night was in every respect propitious ; the moon would not rise until after twelve , so the little party could get away under the friendly shelter of the darkness , and soon afterward have plenty of light to enjoy their stolen feast . They had arranged to make no movement until close on midnight , and then they were all to meet in a passage which belonged to the kitchen regions , and where there was a side door which opened directly into the shrubbery . This door was not very often unlocked , and Annie had taken the key from its place in the lock some days before . She went to bed with her companions at nine o'clock as usual , and presently fell into an uneasy doze . She awoke to hear the great clock in the hall strike eleven , and a few minutes afterward she heard Miss Danesbury 's footsteps retiring to her room at the other end of the passage . `` Danesbury is always the last to go to bed , '' whispered Annie to herself ; `` I can get up presently . '' She lay for another twenty minutes , then , softly rising , began to put on her clothes in the dark .