two o'clock
She instantly dismissed the wretched Christian from her employ for his conduct in the affair ; but , feeling quite helpless and unable to do without him , told him afterwards that he might stay a little longer if he chose . Then she hastened off to Eustacia , moved by a much less promising emotion towards her daughter-in-law than she had felt half an hour earlier , when planning her journey . At that time it was to inquire in a friendly spirit if there had been any accidental loss ; now it was to ask plainly if Wildeve had privately given her money which had been intended as a sacred gift to Clym . She started at two o'clock , and her meeting with Eustacia was hastened by the appearance of the young lady beside the pool and bank which bordered her grandfather 's premises , where she stood surveying the scene , and perhaps thinking of the romantic enactments it had witnessed in past days . When Mrs. Yeobright approached , Eustacia surveyed her with the calm stare of a stranger . The mother-in-law was the first to speak . `` I was coming to see you , '' she said .