As she stood now in her brown cloak darkened by the moonlight, and her round meaningless face whitened by it, she recalled to Terry a remark once made by Granny, "Many a life she has ticked away out of this house, and out of this world, has that old great-grandfather's clock, my children!" "She sha'n't tick my life away," thought Terry.

"I hope she won't tick away Gran'ma's and Nursey's! But that is nonsense, of course.

Granny couldn't have meant that she had anything to do with it, for that is only God's business!" These ideas just flashed through Terry's little head as she stared at the clock and heard her give that curious snarl with which she always warned one that there were but three minutes left of the passing hour.

And the hour hand was at six.
It was just the time for Terry.

She dressed quickly, putting on the little riding-skirt that she had brought from Africa.