half past eight
But more rasping , this particular night , than nerves , more poignant than thirst , more dangerously excitative even than remorse , hunger rioted in him , -- hunger , the one worst enemy of the Senior Surgeon 's cause , -- the simple , silly , no-account , -- gnawing , -- drink-provocative hunger of an empty stomach . And ` one other hunger was also there , -- a sudden fierce new lust for Life and Living , -- a passion bare of love yet pure of wantonness , -- a passion primitive , -- protective , -- inexorably proprietary , -- engendered strangely in that one mad , suspicious moment at the edge of the summer house when every outraged male instinct in him had leaped to prove that -- love or no love -- the woman was -- _ his _ . Up and down , -- up and down , -- round and round , -- eight o'clock found the Senior Surgeon still pacing . At half past eight the young Wall Paper Man came to say good-by to him . `` As long as Sister wo n't be alone any more , I guess I 'll be moving on , '' beamed the Wall Paper Man . `` There 's a dance at home Saturday night . And I 've got a girl of my own ! ''