ten o'clock
And who could wish it ? Lucy was just a little , vain , selfish thing , and when she found David Grieve would n't have her , she would soon forget him . The surging longing within refused , proudly refused , to curb itself -- for Lucy 's sake . Then the bell of St. Ann 's slowly began to strike ten o'clock . It brought home to her by association one of the evening hymns in the little black book she was frequently accustomed to croon to herself at night as she put away her work : O God who canst not change nor fail , Guiding the hours as they roll by , Brightening with beams the morning pale , And burning in the mid-day sky ! Quench thou the fires of hate and strife , The wasting fever of the heart ; From perils guard our feeble life , And to our souls thy peace impart . The words flowed in upon her , but they brought no comfort , only a fresh sense of struggle and effort .