nearly twelve o'clock
`` Really ? '' `` Yes , dearest . '' Gerard rested his head against the cushioned chair-back and met the inflexible black eyes with the cool , mischievous resolution of his own regard , saying nothing at all . It was nearly twelve o'clock , that night , when Corrie arrived home . Flavia ran down the wide staircase to meet him , finger on lip ; a childish figure in the creamy lace and silk of her negligee , with her heavy braids of shining hair falling over her shoulders . `` You are so late , '' she grieved . `` And so cold !