eight o'clock
He revolved the situation over and over . Halcyone must be made aware of the accident , if she had not already read of it in the morning papers ; but she must not be allowed to do anything rash -- and as he got thus far in his meditations , a waiter knocked at the old-fashioned sitting-room door , and Halcyone herself brushed past him into the room . She was deadly pale , and for a moment did not speak . Mrs. Anderton , it appeared , thinking she would be tired from her unaccustomed journey , had suggested she should breakfast in bed , which Halcyone , thankful to be alone , had gratefully agreed to ; and when on her breakfast tray which came up at eight o'clock she saw a daily paper , she had eagerly opened it , and after searching the unfamiliar sheets for the political news , her eye had caught the paragraph about John Derringham 's accident . In this particular journal the notice was merely the brief one of the evening before , but it was enough to wring Halcyone 's heart . She bounded from bed and got Priscilla to dress her in the shortest possible time , and the faithful nurse , seeing that her beloved lamb was in some deep distress , forbore to question her . Nothing would have stopped Halcyone from going out , but she hoped to do so unperceived .