nearly three o'clock
She drank off the cup , and then left the table , going , with her still wet feet and skirts to the sewing-room . `` Rather a dainty young lady , '' she heard Mrs. Lowe remark to the waiter , as she left the room . The stitch in Mary 's side caught her again , as she went up stairs , and almost took her breath away ; and it was some time after she resumed her work , before she could bear her body up straight on the left side . In her damp feet and skirts , on a chilly and rainy October day , Mary Carson sat working until nearly three o'clock , without rest or refreshment of any kind ; and when at last called to dinner , the disordered condition of the table , and the cold , unpalatable food set before her , extinguished , instead of stimulating her sickly appetite . She made a feint of eating , to avoid attracting attention , and then returned to the sewing-room , the air of which , as she re-entered , seemed colder than that of the hall and dining-room . The stitch in her side was not so bad during the afternoon ; but the dull pain was heavier , and accompanied by a sickening sensation . Still , she worked on , cutting , fitting and sewing with a patience and industry , that , considering her actual condition , was surprising .