eight
o'clock
King knew that the place and the work were dearer to the hearts of both Doctor and Mrs. Burns than all else outside their own home , and he began to understand that if anything had gone wrong with affairs there Red Pepper would be sure to take it seriously . Quite as he had foreseen -- since there were few homes on this road , which ran mostly through thickly wooded country -- the car rushed on to the big farmhouse , lying low and long in the night , with pleasant lights twinkling from end to end . Burns brought up with a jerk beside the central porch , leaped out , and disappeared inside without a word of explanation to his companion , who sat wondering and looking in through the open door to the wide hall which ran straight through the house to more big porches on the farther side . Everything was very quiet at this hour , according to the rules of the place , all but the oldest patients being in bed and asleep by eight o'clock . Therefore when , after an interval , voices became faintly audible , there was nothing to prevent their reaching the occupant of the car . In a front room upstairs at one side of the hall two people were speaking , and presently through the open window Burns was heard to say with incisive sternness : `` I 'll give you exactly ten minutes to pack your bag and go -- and I 'll take you -- to make sure you do go . '' A woman 's voice , in a sort of deep-toned wail , answered : `` You are n't fair to me , Doctor Burns ; you are n't fair !