nine o'clock in the evening
`` Oh no . Scarcely desirable that it should be . '' Miriam took the letter , and in a few minutes went back again to her room . At nine o'clock in the evening , the Spences , who sat alone , received the foreseen visit from Mallard . They welcomed him silently . As he sat down , he had a smile on his face ; he drew a letter deliberately from his pocket , and , without preface , began to read it aloud , still in a deliberate manner . `` Let me first of all make a formal announcement .