twelve o'clock
I 've rented the house , and am going away for a while . '' Mrs. Perkins was so astonished that she actually went home without finding out where Julia Cloud was going , and had to come back to see whether there was anything she could do to help , in order to get a chance to ask . It was really quite astonishing what a lot could be done in three hours . When twelve o'clock came , the two children descended upon their aunt with insistence that she wash her hands and put on her hat . The rooms had assumed that cleared-up , ready look that rests the tired worker just to look around and see what has been accomplished . With a conviction that she was being quite a child to run away this way when there was still a lot to be done , but with an overwhelming desire to yield to the pressure , Julia Cloud surrendered . When she came down-stairs five minutes later in her neat black suit and small black hat with the mourning veil about it that Ellen had insisted upon for the funeral , the car was already at the door , and she felt almost guilty as she locked the door and went down the path .