nine o'clock
I will write it , and it shall appear in all the journals of Rome . I will ruin you , I will force you to close this dusty old shop . '' During the entire day , Dorsenne vainly tried to shake off the weight of melancholy which that visit to the brigand of the Rue Borgognona had left upon his heart . On crossing , at nine o'clock , the threshold of the Villa Steno to give an account of his mission to the Contessina , he was singularly moved . There was no one there but the Maitlands , two tourists and two English diplomatists , on their way to posts in the East . `` I was awaiting you , '' said Alba to her friend , as soon as she could speak with him in a corner of the salon . `` I need your advice .