nine o'clock
She slipped still farther down and sat sideways upon the narrow ledge . So narrow that if the vessel had rolled she could not have remained upon it . There she waited . Then there came , sharper and clearer out of the darkness in the direction of the town , the first stroke of nine o'clock from the tower of the new church . Before the second stroke had sounded she was hanging by her two hands from the ledge . She hung at her full length ; she put her feet together ; she hoped that she would go down smoothly and make no splash . Three -- four -- five -- six -- seven -- eight -- nine -- and she let her fingers slip from the ledge .