midnight
Her hand was on the receiver when she remembered that she was marooned . She was ignorant of the ` phone number and had never dared inquire the number of the house or street . Now , when it was too late , she wished with all her heart that she had slipped out late at night , while Kit and Churn slept , and thus found her bearings . She had not gone , because the pair always talked till after midnight , and the later the hour the more important their confidences . But surely she could not fall over this small stumbling block ! The girl ran to a writing table and opened the blotting-book . It was old , thickly patterned with stains , but it contained not a single sheet of paper .