nearly ten o'clock
Her head , which had drooped for a moment , was lifted gallantly . `` It ought to be enough just to be alive and not hungry on a morning like this . '' The house in which Mrs. Rokeby lived appeared to Corinna , as she entered it presently , to have given up hope as utterly as its mistress had done . Though it was nearly ten o'clock , the front pavement had not been swept , the hall was still dark , and a surprised coloured maid , in a soiled apron , answered the doorbell . `` Poor thing , '' thought , Corinna . `` I always heard that she was a good housekeeper . It is queer how soon one 's state of mind passes into one 's surroundings .