Four o'clock
Billy choked back a sob . `` Of course I 'd come , Pete , '' she said gently , taking one of the thin , worn hands into both her soft ones . It was more than a few minutes that Pete lived . Four o'clock came , and five , and he was still with them . Often he opened his eyes and smiled . Sometimes he spoke a low word to William or Billy , or to one of the weeping women at the foot of the bed . That the presence of his beloved master and mistress meant much to him was plain to be seen .