Four o'clock
He stepped to the door , and , with a slight inclination of his head , Dr. Hartwell followed him . It was a vigil Beulah never forgot . The night seemed interminable , as if the car of time were driven backward , and she longed inexpressibly for the dawning of day . Four o'clock came at last ; silence brooded over the town ; the western breeze had sung itself to rest , and there was a solemn hush , as though all nature stood still to witness the struggle between dusky Azrael and a human soul . Clara slept . The distant stars looked down encouragingly from their homes of blue , and once more the lonely orphan bent her knee in supplication before the throne of Jehovah . But a cloud seemed hovering between her heart and the presence-chamber of Deity .