about nine
o'clock
The girl could follow her own line of heroic and resolute thought uninterruptedly . But with the salad came utter rout again , and Norma 's colour , and heart , and breath , began to fluctuate in a renewed agony of hope and fear . It was only Joseph , leaning deferentially over Judge Lee 's shoulder , who said softly : `` Mr. Christopher Liggett , Judge . He has telephoned that he would like to see you for a moment after dinner , and will be here at about nine o'clock . '' The dinner went on , for Norma , in a daze . At a quarter to nine she went upstairs ; she was standing in the dark upper hallway at the window when Chris came , saw him leave his car , and come quickly across the sidewalk under the bare , moving boughs of the old maples . She was trembling with the longing just to speak to him again , just to hear his voice .