six o'clock
As she drank again , Gregorio 's unearthly laugh cracked and jarred in the room . But neither he nor his wife had seen what Veronica had done . They were staring hard at each other , and for the second time Matilde felt that her brow was moist . The Maltese cat died before six o'clock . The poor creature suffered horribly , and Elettra carried it off to her room that Veronica might not see its agony . But Veronica followed her maid . Elettra had laid the beast upon a folded rug on the floor and knelt beside it .