nine o’clock
she 's a widow . '' Jules hastened up a dark stairway , the steps of which were knobby with hardened mud left by the feet of those who came and went . On the second floor he saw three doors but no signs of pinks . Fortunately , on one of the doors , the oiliest and darkest of the three , he read these words , chalked on a panel : `` Ida will come to-night at nine o'clock . '' `` This is the place , '' thought Jules . He pulled an old bellrope , black with age , and heard the smothered sound of a cracked bell and the barking of an asthmatic little dog . By the way the sounds echoed from the interior he knew that the rooms were encumbered with articles which left no space for reverberation , -- a characteristic feature of the homes of workmen and humble households , where space and air are always lacking .