nine
o'clock before
It was already dark when they arrived . Leaving the boy there Hanson rode to the edge of the plain , leading the boy 's horse . There he waited . It was nine o'clock before he saw a solitary figure galloping toward him from the direction of the bungalow . A few moments later Meriem drew in her mount beside him . She was nervous and flushed . When she recognized Hanson she drew back , startled .