seven o'clock
She was now able to sit up for an hour or two every day , and the doctor promised Mr. Egerton that she should be in the drawing-room early in the following week . The weather had been incessantly wet during this time -- dull , hopeless , perpetual rain day after day , without a break in the leaden sky . But at last there came a fine evening , and I went down to the terrace to take a solitary walk after my long imprisonment . It was between six and seven o'clock ; Milly was asleep , and there was no probability of my being wanted in the sick-room for half an hour or so . I left ample instructions with my handy little assistant , and went down for my constitutional , muffled in a warm shawl . It was dusk when I went out , and everything was unusually quiet , not a leaf was stirring in the stagnant atmosphere . Late as it was , the evening was almost oppressively warm , and I was glad to throw off my shawl .