ten o'clock
were the last words he spoke to them . Having done so he shut the door , and they heard his voice immediately uplifted in prayer . They waited a little , and the sound roiled steadily on . Sir Walter then bade Masters extinguish all the lights and send the household to bed , though the time was not more than ten o'clock . As for Masters , the glamour and appeal of those strenuous words at the dinner-table had now passed , and presently , as he prepared to retire , he found himself far less confident and assured than his recent words had implied . He sank slowly from hope to fear , even pictured the worse , and asked himself what would follow if the worst happened . He believed that it might mean serious disaster for Sir Walter .