nearly seven o'clock
His lips met hers in a long , passionate kiss . Her eyes closed and an ecstatic thrill seemed to convulse her entire being . The birds in the trees overhead sang in more joyful chorus in celebration of the betrothal . It was nearly seven o'clock when Shirley got back to Seventy-fourth Street . No one saw her come in , and she went direct to her room , and after a hasty dinner , worked until late into the night on her book to make up for lost time . The events of the afternoon caused her considerable uneasiness . She reproached herself for her weakness and for having yielded so readily to the impulse of the moment .