nearly eight o'clock
And she , not too consciously , made him know this . The knowledge drew him toward her . One day Claude went to see her after a long rehearsal . When he reached the hotel it was nearly eight o'clock . The rehearsal of his opera had only been stopped because it had been necessary to get ready for the evening performance . Claude had promised to dine with Van Brinen that night , and Charmian was dining with some friends . But , at the last moment , Van Brinen had telephoned to say that he was obliged to go to a concert on behalf of his paper .