half past ten in the morning
And for the whole evening , and again next morning until he left the house , she managed to keep him in the only half-questioning belief that nothing was the matter . It was about an hour after that , that her maid came into her bedroom , where she had had her breakfast , and said that Miss Stanton wanted to see her . It argued no real lack of sisterly affection that Rose did n't want to see Portia that morning . Even if there had been no other reason , being found in bed at half past ten in the morning by a sister who inflexibly opened her little shop at half past eight , regardless of bad weather , backaches and other potentially valid excuses , was enough to make one feel apologetic and worthless . Rose could truthfully say that she was feeling wretched . But Portia would sit there , slim and erect , in a little straight-backed chair , and whatever perfunctory commiseration she might manage to express , the look of her fine eyebrows would be skeptical . Justly , too .