eight o'clock
I longed to ask him , if he knew what kind of people had been staying with Miss Tracy , and to find out , if possible , if it was Alice , and whether she was still in Salisbury ; but I felt ashamed of questioning on , and , during the pause that ensued , my informant gave one more general polishing to the table , pushed one or two chairs out of their places , poked the fire , which did not want poking , and with a side bow left the room . My curiosity was so strongly excited , that I could not refrain from asking Mrs. Hatton if she knew anything of the Mrs. Tracy , who , in old times , had been my aunt 's maid , but she had never seen her , and could give me no information on the subject . We were to start the next morning at nine o'clock , and I resolved to make an effort to satisfy myself as to the state of the case by calling at Miss Tracy 's door before setting off . At eight o'clock accordingly , having ascertained from my friend , the waiter , the name of the street and the number of the house , I set out , and as I approached it , my heart beat with a strange mixture of shyness , anxiety , and curiosity . I pulled the bell , and was almost tempted to run away when I heard some one walking heavily to the door to open it . It opened however before I had made up my mind to bolt , and I asked the slip-shod , red-faced girl who appeared , whether Miss Tracy lived there ? `` Yes , she does -LRB- was the answer -RRB- .