about
nine o'clock
But he was shaken through and through ; first by that vanishing of his boy into the furnace of the war , which had brought him at last within the grip of the common grief , the common fear , and now by this strange thought which had invaded him . * * * * * After dinner , Elizabeth , who was rather pale , but as cheerful and self-possessed as usual , put Mrs. Gaddesden 's knitting to rights at least three times , and held the wool for that lady to wind till her arm ached . Then Mrs. Gaddesden retired to bed ; the Squire , who with only occasional mutterings and mumblings had been deep in Elizabeth 's copy of the _ Times _ , which she had at last ventured to produce in public , went off to the library , and Elizabeth and Pamela were left in the hall alone . Elizabeth lingered over the fire ; while Pamela wondered impatiently why she did not go to her office work as she generally did about nine o'clock . Pamela 's mood was more thorny than ever . Had she not seen a letter in Elizabeth 's handwriting lying that very afternoon on the hall-table for post -- addressed to Captain Chicksands , D.S.O. , War Office , Whitehall ? Common sense told her that it probably contained nothing but an answer to some questions Arthur had put to the Squire 's ` business secretary ' as to the amount of ash in the Squire 's woods -- Arthur 's Intelligence appointment having something to do with the Air Board .