nine
o’clock
`` It 's a pity our ship 's not one of the fast ones , if you 're impatient . '' She was silent a little after which she brought out : `` Oh I guess it 'll be fast enough ! '' That evening I went in to see Mrs. Nettlepoint and sat on her sea-trunk , which was pulled out from under the berth to accommodate me . It was nine o'clock but not quite dark , as our northward course had already taken us into the latitude of the longer days . She had made her nest admirably and now rested from her labours ; she lay upon her sofa in a dressing-gown and a cap that became her . It was her regular practice to spend the voyage in her cabin , which smelt positively good -- such was the refinement of her art ; and she had a secret peculiar to herself for keeping her port open without shipping seas . She hated what she called the mess of the ship and the idea , if she should go above , of meeting stewards with plates of supererogatory food .