eleven o'clock
Gilbert Ashburne could not withhold his respect from the woman who stood before him , queen-like in her calm dignity . `` She may be the basest and vilest of her sex , '' he thought to himself , as he left her presence ; `` but she is a woman whom it is impossible to despise . '' The funeral procession was to leave Raynham at noon . At eleven o'clock the arrival of Mr. Dale and Mr. Douglas Dale was announced . These two gentlemen had just arrived at the castle , and the elder of the two requested the favour of an interview with his uncle 's widow . She was seated in one of the apartments which had been allotted to her especial use when she arrived , a proud and happy bride , from her brief honeymoon tour . It was the spacious morning-room which had been sacred to the late Lady Eversleigh , Sir Oswald 's mother .