eleven o'clock
It was several years since Mr. Johnson remembered to have seen her , and he was almost startled at the painful change which had taken place . A little while afterwards he looked upon the cheerful , smiling face of his daughter Flora , and there arose in his heart , almost involuntarily , an emotion of thankfulness that she was not the wife of Mortimer . Could he have seen what passed a few hours afterwards , in the dwelling of the latter , he would have been more thankful than ever . It was after eleven o'clock when Mortimer returned home that night . He had been away since morning . It was rarely that he dined with his family , but usually came home early in the evening . Since seven o'clock , the tea-table had been standing in the floor , awaiting his return .