the hour of ten
Not until the orchestra in the lodge beyond the hedge had begun tunelessly to strum their instruments , to insure their later tunefulness , did she reluctantly abandon her position at the window . But then , from his chair at the fire , Caleb noticed how wistfully disappointed her face was . It turned much colder with nightfall ; a wind sharp with the tang of autumn was blowing in off the river when Barbara , muffled from throat to ankle in a sapphire fur-edged wrap , slipped in at the door , having stolen away ostensibly to display to them her costume . It was after the hour of ten , but the girl lingered a little after she had executed that mission ; she stopped again in the door , indecisively worrying her lip with small teeth , when she finally turned to depart . `` We are very sorry that Mr. O'Mara could not come , '' she hesitated . `` I had promised both Garry and Archie Wickersham that he would be down . '' The older woman nodded and accepted the statement for what it was -- a question which the girl 's eyes failed to conceal .