two o'clock
She could hear the loud ticking of the tall old clock on the staircase -- tick-tack , tick-tack , tick-tack . Sometimes the sound of it deceived her into thinking it was a footstep on the stairs , and she would sit up eagerly in bed , listening intently . But always the hoped-for sound resolved itself back into the eternal tick-tack of the clock . Twelve , one , two o'clock struck , bringing no sign of Tony 's return , and finally , wearied out , Ann fell into a brief slumber from which she awakened with sudden violence to the knowledge that , at length , there was the sound of an actual footfall in the house . She heard the stairs creak twice , unmistakably , then the muffled closing of a door -- and silence . For a moment she hesitated , uncertain how to proceed . Surely she could sleep in peace now ?