nine
o'clock
Mr. Gibson , bear with me a moment . Let me see her now -- '' Mr. Gibson went to the door and called her softly . His wife 's voice was heard in reply : `` Gabrielle has gone . '' A shambling step along the floor of my hall one evening , long past nine o'clock , aroused me from thoughts of Hosley , the man whose image filled my home hours with a creeping shame and dread . A knock on my door , the first since I had been living there , startled me . Before I could advance , Jim Hosley stumbled in and braced his worn body against the wall . He reached for my hand and I took it , and forgave him everything I had suspected he had done , and every crime he might have committed .