nine o'clock
The stories she had heard of him were romantic , and the superintendent 's wife had not allowed them to suffer in the telling . Natalie felt elated that such a remarkable person should exert himself on her behalf . And the journey itself impressed her imagination deeply . Although it was nine o'clock when they boarded the launch , it was still light . The evening was yellow with the peculiar diffused radiance of high latitudes , lending a certain somberness to their surroundings . The rushing tide , the ragged rock-teeth which showed through it , the trackless , unending forests that clothed the hills in every direction , awed her a little , yet gave her an unaccustomed feeling of freedom and contentment . The long wait out between the lonely islands , where the tiny cockle-shell rolled strangely , although the sea seemed as level as a floor , held a subtle excitement .