one o'clock
But some time after midnight , his hungry mind , like a house-pet robbed of an accustomed meal , began to wake and fret and stalk around ferociously through all the long , empty , aching , early morning hours , searching for something novel to think about . By supper-time the next evening he was in an irritable mood that made him fairly clutch the special delivery letter out of the postman 's hand . It was rather a thin , tantalizing little letter , too . All it said was , `` To-night , Dearest , until one o'clock , in a cabbage-colored gown all shimmery with green and blue and September frost-lights , I 'm going to sit up by my white birch-wood fire and read aloud to you . Yes ! Honest-Injun ! And out of Browning , too .