midnight
asked one of the men in a low whisper . `` Muda Saffir has sent us for her . Tell her that her father is very sick and wants her , but do not mention Muda Saffir 's name lest she might not come . '' The whispering awakened Virginia and she lay wondering what the cause of the midnight conference might be , for she recognized that one of the speakers was a man , and there had been no man in the apartment when she had gone to sleep earlier in the night . Presently she heard some one approach her , and a moment later a woman 's voice addressed her ; but she could not understand enough of the native tongue to make out precisely the message the speaker wished to convey . The words `` father , '' `` sick , '' and `` come , '' however she finally understood after several repetitions , for she had picked up a smattering of the Dyak language during her enforced association with the natives . The moment that the possibilities suggested by these few words dawned upon her , she sprang to her feet and followed the woman toward the door of the apartment .