eleven o'clock
Janetta did not condescend to argue the point ; she contented herself with telling her sister of Wyvis Brand 's desire that the story of his wife 's separation from him should not be known , and the two girls agreed that it would be better to mention their evening 's adventure only to their father . It was quite dark when they reached home , and they entered the house in much trepidation , fearing a volley of angry words from Mrs. Colwyn . But to their surprise and relief Mrs. Colwyn was not at home . The children explained that an invitation to supper had come to her from a neighbor , and that `` after a great deal of fuss , '' as one of them expressed it , she had accepted it and gone , leaving word that she should not be back until eleven o'clock , and that the children were to go to bed at their usual hour . It was past the younger children 's hour already , and they of course were jubilant . The elder sisters set to work instantly to get the young ones into their beds , but this was a matter of some difficulty . A general inclination to uproariousness prevailed in Mrs. Colwyn 's absence , and it must be confessed that neither Janetta nor Nora tried very hard to repress the little ones ' noise .