two o'clock in the morning
The second sign was the acceptance of a hackneyed commonplace ; the proffer of a friendly message through the medium of a cliché which , however false in its general application , offered a short cut to the interpretation of feeling . Racquet who had maintained a well-bred silence from the first moment of his mistress 's reproof , had honoured me with his approval while we sat in the farm-house sitting-room , and sealed the agreement by a friendly thrust of his nose as we said `` Goodnight . '' Anne did not look at me as she spoke , but her soft comment , `` You are fond of dogs , '' seemed to me a full acknowledgment of our recognition of each other 's quality . I must admit , however , that at two o'clock in the morning one 's sense of values is not altogether normal . I should have preferred to maintain a thoughtful , experiencing silence throughout our walk home . I had plenty of material for reflection . I wanted , now , to look at all this disappearing Brenda business from a new angle .