evening about seven o'clock
When the two ` friends ' disappeared from the window , the part of the Liberal crowd that was not engaged in hand-to-hand fights with their enemies -- the Tories -- made a rush to the front entrance of the Town Hall , where Sweater 's carriage was waiting , and as soon as he had placed his plump rotundity inside , they took the horses out and amid frantic cheers harnessed themselves to it instead and dragged it through the mud and the pouring rain all the way to ` The Cave ' -- most of them were accustomed to acting as beasts of burden -- where he again addressed a few words to them from the porch . Afterwards as they walked home saturated with rain and covered from head to foot with mud , they said it was a great victory for the cause of progress ! Truly the wolves have an easy prey . The Undesired That evening about seven o'clock , whilst Easton was down-town seeing the last of the election , Ruth 's child was born . After the doctor was gone , Mary Linden stayed with her during the hours that elapsed before Easton came home , and downstairs Elsie and Charley -- who were allowed to stay up late to help their mother because Mrs Easton was ill -- crept about very quietly , and conversed in hushed tones as they washed up the tea things and swept the floor and tidied the kitchen . Easton did not return until after midnight , and all through the intervening hours , Ruth , weak and tired , but unable to sleep , was lying in bed with the child by her side . Her wide-open eyes appeared unnaturally large and brilliant , in contrast with the almost death-like paleness of her face , and there was a look of fear in them , as she waited and listened for the sound of Easton 's footsteps .