the hour of seven
He 'll ship on an Indiaman . I 'll set a few men to look after the outgoing ships as a beginning . '' `` Secrecy above all things , understand , '' was the last admonition . Darkness had come on , and the clocks struck the hour of seven as Arthur set out for a visit to Sister Mary Magdalen . Possibly Louis had sought her to tell the story of failure and shame , the sad result of her foolish enterprise ; and she had kept him to console him , to put him in shape before his return home , so that none might mark the traces of his frightful emotion . Alas , the good nun had not seen him since their visit to Claire 's office in Bleecker Street the day before . He concealed from her the situation .