ten minutes to five
In what seemed to her exactly thirty minutes she looked at the clock again . It was twenty-five minutes to five . She nestled down , assuring herself that nobody could be expected to come on the moment , but this time she did not close her eyes ; she watched the clock . And the joy imperceptibly died out of her ; the hands travelled inexorably round to ten minutes to five ; she remembered that she had not seen Senator North since Wednesday , and that in four days a busy legislator might easily forget the existence of every woman he knew , except perhaps of the woman he loved . Within her seemed to rise a tide of bitter memories , the memories of all those women who had sat and waited through dreary hours for man 's uncertain coming . She shivered and drew close to the fire and covered her face with her hands . Her heart ached for the helpless misery of her sex .