four in the afternoon
But she shrank from the explanations in which it was certain she must become involved when on duty at the Red Cross and the canteen that afternoon . Undressed , she sent her maid for a cup of tea , feeling too tired for luncheon . Afterward she lay down on her bed , meaning merely to close her eyes for a moment . It was after four in the afternoon when she sat up with a start -- too late for the Red Cross ; but she could do something at the canteen . She went about dressing as though bruised . It seemed to take an interminable time . Her maid called a taxi ; but the short winter daylight had nearly gone when she arrived at the canteen .