two o'clock
The humor of the scene struck her ; little flashes of mirth at the expense of both priest and people , delicate sarcasms , the more searching from their very refinement , awoke in her brain and were swiftly transcribed . In the middle of one of the most daring sentences Raeburn stirred . Erica 's pen was thrown down at once ; she was at his side absorbed once more in attending to his wants , forgetful quite of religious controversy , of the `` Idol-Breaker , '' of anything in fact in the whole world but her father . Not till an hour had passed was she free to finish her writing , but by the time her aunt came to relieve guard at two o'clock the article was finished and Erica stole noiselessly into the next room to put it up . To her surprise she found that Tom had not gone to bed . He was still toiling away at his desk with a towel round his head ; she could almost have smiled at the ludicrous mixture of grief and sleepiness on his face , had not her own heart been so loaded with care and sadness . The post brought in what Tom described as `` bushels '' of letters every day , and he was working away at them now with sleepy heroism .