nearly eleven o’clock
But what differences might there not have been had it not started into activity for the brief space betwixt then and my sorrow ? I left the parchment still attached to the cover at the bottom , and , laying a sheet of paper between the formerly adhering surfaces , lest they should again adhere , closed and replaced the volume . Then , looking at my watch , I found that , instead of an hour as I had supposed , I had been in the church three hours . It was nearly eleven o'clock , too late for anything further that night . When I came out , the sky was clear and the stars were shining . The storm had blown over . Much rain had fallen .