eleven o’clock
It is possible that , but for her _ liaison _ with Thomson , Mrs. Clarkson would , long ere this , have fascinated him with her beauty and blandishments ; but , he had hitherto escaped unscathed , though openly admiring his brother 's wife , and taking her part against the scandal-mongers when speculation was rife as to the cause which detained her in Montreal . In looking round for some one to entrap and ensnare , Mrs. Clarkson 's eye naturally fell upon William , as the most eligible party in her immediate vicinity ; and she was the more anxious to secure him , because , with a woman 's far-seeing eye and long-reaching vengeance , she wished to circumvent her sister-in-law , who , being unmarried -LRB- and likely to remain so -RRB- , had undertaken to keep house for her younger brother , and would , as matters at that moment stood , have likely outlived him and inherited his property . Opportunity was not long wanting for her to effect her object ; William was the sole executor to his brother 's estate , and , as business often brought them together at the late Mr. Clarkson 's lawyer 's office in Montreal , it was not strange that the widow should almost immediately have opened the campaign , which she did on the first occasion of their meeting in the city , beginning , as most great generals do , with a little skirmishing , in order to draw out her opponent . It was a beautiful spring morning , and , as they had appointed to meet in Montreal at eleven o'clock , Mr. Clarkson called to drive his sister-in-law to the depot to meet the train . To his surprise , that lady declined to accompany him , reminding him that she was now alone in the world , and that if during her husband 's life-time the tongue of scandal was directed against her reputation , how much the more would it be so now that her natural protector was no more . William , being little of a gossip himself , urged her to be above such petty pandering to public opinion , and to follow her inclinations , but she replied naively . -- `` A woman has nothing to depend on but her reputation , and she can not be too careful , you know . ''