nine o'clock
He had not seen Margaret for many days , but he had a feeling to-night that she would be able to keep her tryst . And there , standing amid the rushes on the lakeside , he found her . They had so much to say to each other that Margaret forgot her father 's return , and delayed so long that she thought it best to go straight home , instead of walking down the beach to meet him . He generally left Stromness about half-past eight , and his supper was laid for nine o'clock . But this night nine passed , and he did not come ; and though the delay could be accounted for in various ways , she had a dim but anxious forecasting of calamity in her heart . The atmosphere of the little parlor grew sorrowful and heavy , the lamp did not seem to light it , her father 's chair had a deserted , lonely aspect , the house was strangely silent ; in fifteen minutes she had forgotten how happy she had been , and wandered to and from the door like some soul in an uneasy dream . All at once she heard the far-away shouting of angry and alarmed voices , and to her sensitive ears her lover 's and her father 's names were mingled .