twelve o'clock
There it was , the pitiful little lure she had put forward to Love , the garland she had set in place to show Creed how fine a housewife she was , how grandly she would keep his home for him . The brave red roses , the bold laughing red roses , their crimson challenge was shrivelled to darkened shreds , each golden heart was a pinch of black dust ; only the thorny stems remained to show what queen of blossoms had been there . She knelt beside the bed , and when the Lusk girls , frightened at her long absence , crept timidly in to look for her , they found her strangling passionate sobs in its white covering . `` It 's most twelve o'clock , Jude , '' whimpered Cliantha . `` Hit 's come on to rain , '' supplied Pendrilla piteously , and a gusty spatter on the small-paned window confirmed her words , as the three girls went back into the room where the candle stood in the middle of the floor with the three portions of bread and salt about it . The pale little sisters glanced at each other , and then at Judith , wistfully , timorously , almost more in terror of her than of their anomalous situation , this new , unknown Judith who scarce answered when she was spoken to , who continually failed them , who looked so strangely about her and wept so much . `` Pendrilly an ' me has done put our pins in close to the bottom , '' Cliantha explained deprecatingly .