`` sir , that 's nine , '' turner said softly , at last , and the hissing of the acid had faded . how much more time was involved , i didnt know . but when i woke up , i could not recall in any way what it meant and how i should understand it . `` i had hoped that if you did i would stop dreaming . '' what happened when she got too old for even that ? its not in here , she said . after a few seconds , the window shut again . 