nine o'clock
Dad loved her . No call had come from Barry . She finished dinner and wandered restlessly from room to room . When nine o'clock struck , she crept into the General 's library , and found him in his big chair reading and smoking . She sat on a little stool beside him , and laid her head against his knee . Presently his hand slipped from his book and touched her curls . And then both sat looking into the fire .