about five in the afternoon
From one another we no longer attempted to conceal our grief . It seemed as though we had all at once resolved to abandon the farce of pretending not to notice John 's estrangement from his wife , or of explaining away his neglectful and unaccountable treatment of her . I do not think that three poor women were ever so sad on Christmas Day before as were we on our return from church that morning . None of us had seen my brother , but about five in the afternoon Constance went to his room , and through the locked door begged piteously to see him . After a few minutes he complied with her request and opened the door . The exact circumstances of that interview she never revealed to me , but I knew from her manner when she returned that something she had seen or heard had both grieved and frightened her . She told me only that she had flung herself in an agony of tears at his feet , and kneeling there , weary and broken-hearted , had begged him to tell her if she had done aught amiss , had prayed him to give her back his love .