midnight
There was something awe-inspiring about Mrs. Tellamantez and her shell . Thea caught Dr. Archie 's hand and squeezed it hard as she skipped along beside him back toward Moonstone . She went home , and the doctor went back to his lamp and his book . He never left his office until after midnight . If he did not play whist or pool in the evening , he read . It had become a habit with him to lose himself . Thea 's twelfth birthday had passed a few weeks before her memorable call upon Mrs. Tellamantez .