about ten o'clock
No end of fun . '' This whispered conversation took place in the upper corridor . Many of the girls had come from schools where frolics were looked upon as an almost heinous crime , and strict rules and surveillance had made their lives a burden to them . It was about ten o'clock when ghostly figures began to slip through the dark halls . Lights had been extinguished at nine-thirty and all was now silent . Miss Preston was in her room in a remote part of the house , and most of the other teachers had rooms in the adjoining building . The laundry in this house was never used , and stout blinds shut out -- and in -- all light .