seven o'clock
The little garden had been a wilderness until then ; every flower had been planted by his wife , every room bore witness to her charming taste . No wonder he regarded it with such mingled feelings of pain and pleasure . Mr. Lucas made no difference to our simple routine . Miss Ruth and Flurry used to drive to the little station to meet him , and bring him back in triumph to the seven o'clock nondescript meal , that was neither dinner nor tea , nor supper , but a compound of all . I used to go up with the children after that meal , that he and Miss Ruth might enjoy their chat undisturbed . When I returned to the drawing-room Miss Ruth was invariably alone . `` Giles has gone out for a solitary prowl , '' she would say ; and he rarely returned before we went upstairs .