Half past
five
No ; something had detained her . She would surely be in later ; and Reed strained his ears , hour after hour , to listen for the buzz of the front-door bell . At last it buzzed , and the long form relaxed its stiffening . Half past five ! That meant the shortest possible time for talk . Still , it would be better than nothing ; the half-loaf would keep him from going hungry to bed . His eyes were eager , as he watched the door .