eleven o'clock
The kindness , the earnestness of Eleanor 's manner in pressing her to stay , and Henry 's gratified look on being told that her stay was determined , were such sweet proofs of her importance with them , as left her only just so much solicitude as the human mind can never do comfortably without . She did -- almost always -- believe that Henry loved her , and quite always that his father and sister loved and even wished her to belong to them ; and believing so far , her doubts and anxieties were merely sportive irritations . Henry was not able to obey his father 's injunction of remaining wholly at Northanger in attendance on the ladies , during his absence in London , the engagements of his curate at Woodston obliging him to leave them on Saturday for a couple of nights . His loss was not now what it had been while the general was at home ; it lessened their gaiety , but did not ruin their comfort ; and the two girls agreeing in occupation , and improving in intimacy , found themselves so well sufficient for the time to themselves , that it was eleven o'clock , rather a late hour at the abbey , before they quitted the supper-room on the day of Henry 's departure . They had just reached the head of the stairs when it seemed , as far as the thickness of the walls would allow them to judge , that a carriage was driving up to the door , and the next moment confirmed the idea by the loud noise of the house-bell . After the first perturbation of surprise had passed away , in a `` Good heaven ! What can be the matter ? ''