five o'clock
Where , she persisted in asking herself , is Sergius ? Lest he might pass unobserved , she kept the curtains of all the windows aside , and every long gown and tall hat she beheld set her heart to fluttering . Her eagerness to meet the monk at length absorbed her . The sun marked five o'clock -- then half after five -- then , in more rapid declension , six , and still she went pendulously to and fro along the wall -- six o'clock , the hour for starting home ; but she had not seen Sergius . On land the shadows were lengthening rapidly ; over the sea , the brightness was dulling , and the air perceptibly freshening . She awoke finally to the passage of time , and giving up the hope which had been holding her to the promenade , reluctantly bade the carriers take her home . `` Shall we go by the streets we came ? ''