three o'clock
A clock in the house struck eleven ; this roused her , and she slipped out of the bed to hide the letter in her dress-pocket . Not long after she was asleep . The next day , on returning from her work and opening the sitting-room door , Mildred Vesper was greeted with a merry laugh . Monica had been here since three o'clock , and had made tea in readiness for her friend 's arrival . She looked very white , but her eyes gleamed with pleasure , and she moved about the room as actively as before . ` Virgie came with me , but she would n't stay . She says she has a most important letter to write to Alice -- about the school , of course .