nine
o’clock
As soon as he saw the little girl the captain fastened his eyes upon her with a look that was almost passionate . He loved her play so extravagantly and took such interest in all she did that the tie between himself and the doctor grew closer every day , though the latter never dared to say to him , `` You , too , have you lost children ? '' There are beings , kind and patient as old Jordy , who pass through life with a bitter thought in their heart and a tender but sorrowful smile on their lips , carrying with them to the grave the secret of their lives ; letting no one guess it , -- through pride , through disdain , possibly through revenge ; confiding in none but God , without other consolation than his . Monsieur de Jordy , like the doctor , had come to die in Nemours , but he knew no one except the abbe , who was always at the beck and call of his parishioners , and Madame de Portenduere , who went to bed at nine o'clock . So , much against his will , he too had taken to going to bed early , in spite of the thorns that beset his pillow . It was therefore a great piece of good fortune for him -LRB- as well as for the doctor -RRB- when he encountered a man who had known the same world and spoken the same language as himself ; with whom he could exchange ideas , and who went to bed late . After Monsieur de Jordy , the Abbe Chaperon , and Minoret had passed one evening together they found so much pleasure in it that the priest and soldier returned every night regularly at nine o'clock , the hour at which , little Ursula having gone to bed , the doctor was free .