About a quarter
past one
She alone therefore was absent from this long , wet shopping , for she waited indoors , almost pen in hand , to answer in the affirmative the invitation which had at present not arrived . Owing to the thickness of the fog , her absence from the street passed unnoticed , for everybody supposed that everybody else had seen her , while she , biting her nails at home , waited and waited and waited . Then she waited . About a quarter past one she gave it up , and duly telephoned , according to promise , viâ Janet and Withers , to Miss Mapp to say that Mr. Wyse had not yet hoped . It was very unpleasant to let them know , but if she had herself rung up and been answered by Elizabeth , who usually rushed to the telephone , she felt that she would sooner have choked than have delivered this message . So Janet telephoned and Withers said she would tell her mistress . And did .