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22878 | 3 | about three o'clock | true | 117 | 120 | After beating Tom of Hopton , there was not much more to be done in the way of reputation ; I have long sat in my bar the wonder and glory of this here neighbourhood . I 'm content , as far as reputation goes ; I only wish money would come in a little faster ; however , the next main of cocks will bring me in something handsome -- comes off next Wednesday , at -- , have ventured ten five-pound notes -- should n't say ventured either -- run no risk at all , because why ? I knows my birds . '' About ten days after this harangue I called again , at about three o'clock one afternoon . The landlord was seated on a bench by a table in the common room , which was entirely empty ; he was neither smoking nor drinking , but sat with his arms folded , and his head hanging down over his breast . At the sound of my step he looked up . `` Ah , '' said he , `` I am glad you are come , I was just thinking about you . '' |
22878 | 22 | about ten o'clock at night | true | 99 | 104 | `` Here we will leave them for a time , '' said the man ; `` when I think they have had enough , I will come back , tie their fore-legs , and let them pick about . '' Fire of Charcoal -- The New Comer -- No Wonder ! -- Not a Blacksmith -- A Love Affair -- Gretna Green -- A Cool Thousand -- Family Estates -- Borough Interest -- Grand Education -- Let us Hear -- Already Quarrelling -- Honourable Parents -- Most Heroically -- Not Common People -- Fresh Charcoal . It might be about ten o'clock at night . Belle , the postillion , and myself sat just within the tent , by a fire of charcoal which I had kindled in the chafing-pan . The man had removed the harness from his horses , and , after tethering their legs , had left them for the night in the field above to regale themselves on what grass they could find . The rain had long since entirely ceased , and the moon and stars shone bright in the firmament , up to which , putting aside the canvas , I occasionally looked from the depths of the dingle . |
22879 | 1 | one o'clock | true | 39 | 41 | We have to respect the prejudices of the country a little . After all , we really have a holiday during this month . Nothing can be done . The people at the palace do not get up until one o'clock or later , so as to make the time while they fast seem shorter . '' `` Very sensible of them . I wonder why they get up at all , until their ridiculous gun fires , and they can smoke . '' `` Whether you like it or not , you must go to Santa Sophia to-night , and see the service , '' said Paul , firmly . |
22879 | 10 | a quarter past ten o'clock | true | 67 | 72 | He rarely carried weapons , as Alexander did , but he trusted in his own strength to save him . He drew his watch from his pocket , resolving to wait five minutes longer , and then , if the kaváss did not return , to lift the curtain , come what might . He struck a match , and looked at the dial . It was a quarter past ten o'clock . Then , to occupy his mind , he began to try and count the three hundred seconds , fancying that he could see a pendulum swinging before his eyes in the dark . At twenty minutes past ten he would go in . But he did not reach the end of his counting . |
22879 | 10 | twenty minutes past ten | true | 53 | 57 | He struck a match , and looked at the dial . It was a quarter past ten o'clock . Then , to occupy his mind , he began to try and count the three hundred seconds , fancying that he could see a pendulum swinging before his eyes in the dark . At twenty minutes past ten he would go in . But he did not reach the end of his counting . The curtain suddenly moved a little , allowing a ray of bright light to fall out into the darkness , and in the momentary flash Paul saw the gorgeous uniform and accoutrements of the embassy kaváss . He was alone , and Paul 's heart sank . |
22879 | 10 | ten
o'clock | true | 110 | 112 | In vain did the terrified kaváss bid the coachman turn and turn again ; in vain did Paul , in agonized excitement , try to pierce the darkness with his eyes , and to distinguish the well-known face in the throngs that crowded the brightly lighted squares . At the end of two hours he began to realize the hopelessness of the search . Suddenly it struck him that Alexander might have found the bridge , and , recognizing it , might have crossed to Pera rather than run the risk of losing himself in Stamboul again . `` Tell the launch to be at Beschik Tasch to-morrow morning at ten o'clock , '' said Paul . `` Take me to Galata bridge . I will cross on foot to Pera . Then go back and wait behind Agia Sophia , in case he comes that way again to look for the carriage . |
22879 | 0 | midnight | true | 77 | 78 | He then walked slowly , scrutinizing every face he saw . But indeed there were few people about , for Christian Pera does not fast in Ramazán , and consequently does not spend the night in parading the streets . Nevertheless , Paul began a systematic search , leaving no small café or eating-house unvisited , rousing the sleepy porters of the inns with his inquiries , and finally entering the hotel . It was now past midnight , but he would not give up the quest . He caused all the guides to be collected from their obscure habitations by messengers from the hotel , and representing to them the urgency of the case , and giving them money in advance with the promise of more to come , he dispatched them in all directions . Alexander had been at the hotel very often during the last month , while visiting the sights of the city , and most of these fellows knew him by sight . At all events , it would be easy for them to recognize a well-dressed Frank gentleman in trouble . |
22879 | 10 | ten o'clock | true | 90 | 92 | His face was deadly pale , and his mouth was wide open as he slept , breathing heavily ; his left hand rested on the hilt of his scimiter ; his right was extended , palm upwards , on the stone step on which he sat , the very picture of exhaustion . At any other time Paul would have laughed at the scene . But he was very far from mirth now , as he bent down and laid his hand upon the sleeping kaváss 's shoulder . At ten o'clock on that morning , Paul and the kaváss went on board the steam launch at Beschik Tasch , the landing most convenient for persons coming from the upper part of Pera . They had done everything possible , and it was manifestly Paul 's duty to inform his chief of the occurrences of the night . The authorities had been put in possession of the details of Alexander 's disappearance , and the scanty machinery of the Stamboul police had been set in motion ; notice had been given at every hotel and circulated to every place of resort , and it was impossible that if Alexander showed himself in Pera he should escape observation , even if he desired to do so . But Stamboul was not Pera , and as Paul gave the order to steam to Buyukdere he resolutely turned his back on the eastern shore of the Golden Horn , unable to bear the sight of the buildings so intimately associated with his night 's search . |
22879 | 12 | morning, noon | true | 41 | 44 | `` Oh , dear , yes ! '' exclaimed Chrysophrasia , wearily . `` Professor Cutter is coming , with his nasty science , and his lenses , and his mathematics . Of course he will wear those vivid green spectacles morning , noon , and night , -- such a dreadfully offensive color . '' `` Yes , '' said John , gazing down at his neat shoes , as he stood rubbing his broad hands slowly together before the fire , `` Cutter is coming , too . What a queer party we shall be at Christmas . '' And when Christmas came , we were a very queer party indeed . |
22879 | 12 | midday | true | 131 | 132 | For myself , I am the man you have long known , Paul Griggs , the American ; a man of many acquaintances and of few friends , who has seen the world , and is forty-three years of age , ugly and tough , not so poor as I have been , not so good as I might be , melancholic by temperament , and a little sour by force of circumstances . It chanced , one evening , that I was walking alone through the park . I had been on foot to the village to send a telegram , which I had not cared to trust to a servant . The weather had suddenly cleared , and there had been a sharp frost in the morning ; towards midday it had thawed a little , but by the time it was dark everything was frozen hard again . The moon was nearly full , and shone brightly upon the frozen grass , casting queer shadows through the bare branches of the trees ; it was very cold , and I walked fast ; the brittle , frozen mud of the road broke beneath my feet with a creaking , crunching sound , and startled the deep stillness . As I neared the house the moon was before me , and the mass of buildings cast a dark shadow . Carvel Place is like many old country houses in England ; it is a typical dwelling of its kind , irregular , yet imposing , and though it has no plan , for it has been added to and enlarged , and in part rebuilt , it is yet harmonious and of good proportion . |
22879 | 0 | midnight | true | 107 | 108 | He was not exactly an alchemist ; he was an astrologer , and there are the ruins of his tower in the park . There are some old books up-stairs , upon the Black Art , with his name in them , Johannes Carvellius , written in the most enchanting angular handwriting . '' `` I believe there was somebody of that name , '' remarked John . `` They are full of delicious incantations for raising the devil , -- such exquisite ceremonies , with all the dress described that you must wear , and the phases of the moon , and hazel wands cut at midnight . Imagine how delightful ! '' `` The tower in the park is a beautiful place , '' said Hermione . `` I have it all filled with flowers in summer , and the gardener 's boy once saw a ghost there on All Hallow E'en . '' |
22879 | 0 | midnight | true | 80 | 81 | I wondered why no one had thought of this . It had probably not suggested itself to any one , because strangers are never admitted from that side , and because the door is almost always closed . Gregorios did not refer to the subject again that evening , but amused himself by asking me all manner of questions about the state of England . We fell to talking about European politics , and the hours passed very pleasantly until midnight . On the next day I went to see Paul , and told him the result of my first step . He appeared very grateful . `` It seems hard that my life should be ruined by this thing , '' he said wearily . |
22879 | 11 | about eleven o'clock in the
morning | true | 30 | 36 | `` Let us go up the Bosphorus , '' I said . `` There will probably be a steamer before long . '' He assented readily enough . It was about eleven o'clock in the morning , -- five by the Turkish clocks , -- and the day was magnificent . The sun was high , and illuminated everything in the bright , cold air , so that the domes and minarets of the city were white as snow , with bluish shadows , while the gilded crescents and spires glistened with unnatural brilliancy in the clear winter 's daylight . It is hard to say whether Stamboul is more beautiful at any one season of the year than during the other three , for every season brings with it some especial loveliness , some new phase of color . You may reach Serai point on a winter 's morning in a driving snow-storm , so that everything is hidden in the gray veil of the falling flakes ; suddenly the clouds will part and the sunlight will fall full upon the city , so that it seems as if every mosque and spire were built of diamonds . |
22879 | 8 | half past eight o'clock | true | 48 | 52 | He kept his word , and very early in the morning I heard him go out . From the sound of his walk I could tell that he had no spurs , and was therefore in civilian 's dress . He told me afterwards what occurred . At half past eight o'clock he was drinking a cup of coffee in Marchetto 's shop in the bazaar , and the Jew was displaying his tapestry , and swearing that it was birindjí , first quality . Balsamides wanted to produce the impression that he intended to make a bargain . `` Kaldyr ! Take it away ! '' |
22879 | 12 | twelve o'clock | true | 43 | 45 | Marchetto returned to the original question . `` If it is worth so much , why do you not take it to one of the embassies ? '' asked Balsamides at last . He had resolved that he would prolong the discussion until twelve o'clock , judging that by midday the negro would be on his way back to Yeni Köj , and that there would be no further chance of seeing him . He therefore broached the subject of Marchetto 's trade with the foreigners , knowing that once upon this tack the Jew would have endless stories and anecdotes to relate . But Gregorios was not destined to stand in need of so much ingenuity . He would never have made the attempt in which he was now engaged unless he had anticipated success , and he was not surprised when a tall , smooth-faced negro , of hideous countenance but exceedingly well dressed , put his head into the shop . |
22879 | 0 | a half to one | true | 33 | 37 | There is a coachman and probably two grooms . Very likely there are half a dozen big hamáls about . '' `` That makes thirteen , '' I said . `` Six and a half to one , or four and a third to one , if we count upon our own driver . '' `` You may count upon him , '' replied Gregorios . `` He is an old soldier , and as strong as a lion . In case of necessity he will call the watch from Yeni Köj . |
22879 | 0 | midnight | true | 87 | 88 | He was terrified when he recognized in the Sultan 's medical adviser the man who had scattered the crowd in the bazaar , and who had so startled him by his references to the ring , the box , and the chain . He was frightened , but he knew he could not attempt to resist the imperial order , and after a moment 's hesitation he answered . `` The Khanum Effendi , '' he said , `` is indeed very ill . It is past midnight , and no one in the harem thinks of sleep . I will prepare the Khanum for the Effendi 's visit . '' Thereupon he withdrew , and we were once more left alone . I confess that my courage rose as I grew more confident of the excellence of my disguise . |
22879 | 3 | three
o'clock | true | 88 | 90 | We continued to ascend the path , dragging the Lala between us . He had little chance of escape between two such men as we , and he seemed to know it , for after a few minutes he submitted quietly enough . At last we reached an open space among the rocks and trees , and Balsamides stopped . We were quite out of earshot from the road , and it would be hard to imagine a more desolate place than it appeared , between two and three o'clock on that March night , the bare twigs of the birch-trees wriggling in the bleak wind , the faint light of the decrescent moon , that seemed to be upside down in the sky , falling on the white rocks , and on the whitened branches torn down by the winter 's storms , lying like bleached bones upon the ground before us . `` Now , '' said Balsamides to the negro , `` no one can hear us . You have one chance of life . Tell us at once where we can find the Russian Effendi whose property you stole and sold to Marchetto in the bazaar . '' |
22879 | 6 | six o'clock in the morning | true | 60 | 65 | We reached the outskirts of Pera , and Alexander hastily withdrew his head and sank back in the corner , as though afraid of being seen . He had the startled look of a man who fears pursuit . At last we rattled down the Grande Rue , and stopped before the door of Balsamides ' house . It was six o'clock in the morning , and the sun was nearly up . I thought it had been one of the longest nights I ever remembered . While Balsamides dismissed the coachman , I led Alexander quickly into the house and up the narrow stairs . In a few minutes Gregorios joined us , and coffee was brought . |
22879 | 12 | noon | true | 164 | 165 | If things had ended thus , my story would end here , and perhaps it would be complete . Unfortunately , events rarely take place as we expect that they will , still more rarely as we hope that they may ; and it is generally when our hopes coincide with our expectations , and we feel most sure of ourselves , that fate overtakes us with the most cruel disappointments . Paul Patoff had not yet reached the quiet haven of his hopes , and I have not reached the end of my story . It would indeed be a very easy matter , as I have said before , to collect all the things which happened to him into a neat romance , of which the action should not cover more than four-and-twenty hours of such excitement as no one of the actors could have borne in real life , any more than Salvini could act a tragedy which should begin at noon to-day and end at midday to-morrow . I might have divested Paul of many of his surroundings , have bereaved him of many of his friends , and made him do himself what others did to him ; but if he were to read such an account of his life he would laugh scornfully , and say that the real thing was very different indeed , as without doubt it was . This is the reason why I have not hesitated to bring before you a great number of personages , each of whom , in a great or a small way , affected his life . I do not believe that you could understand his actions in the sequel without knowing the details of those situations through which he had passed before . |
22879 | 0 | about
midnight | true | 157 | 159 | I have always believed that he was really fond of Hermione ; for I can not imagine him so vile as to attempt to take her from Paul , when Paul had done so much towards liberating him from his prison . But whatever were his motives or his feelings , it was evident to me that he was making love to her in good earnest , that the girl was more interested in him than she supposed , and that Madame Patoff was cunningly scheming to break off the match with Paul in order to marry Hermione to Alexander . Balsamides had of course become a friend of the family , after the part he had played in effecting Alexander 's escape , and in his own way I think he watched the situation when he got a chance with as much interest as I myself . One evening we were sitting in his rooms , about midnight , talking , as we talked eternally , upon all manner of subjects . `` Griggs , '' said he , suddenly changing the topic of our conversation , `` it is a great pity we ever took the trouble to find Alexander . I often wish he were still lying in that pleasant den in Laleli 's garden . '' `` It would be better for every one concerned , except himself , if he were , '' I answered . |
22879 | 10 | ten o'clock | true | 73 | 75 | Paul and Hermione came behind , talking a little as they walked . They reached the bridge on foot , and , paying the toll to the big men in white who guard the entrance , began to cross the long stretch of planks which unites Stamboul with Pera . The sun was already low . Indeed , Marchetto had kept his shop open beyond the ordinary hour of closing , which is ten o'clock by Turkish time , two hours before sunset , and the bazaar was nearly deserted when they left it . Paul and Hermione stopped when they were halfway across the bridge , and looked up the Golden Horn . Great clouds were piled up in the west , behind which the sun was hidden , and the air was very sultry . A dull light , that seemed to cast no shadows , was on all the mosques and minarets , and down upon the water the air was thick , and the boats looked indistinct as they glided by . |
22879 | 15 | three o'clock in the afternoon | true | 105 | 110 | An incident occurred very soon , however , which helped him to make up his mind . One afternoon we arranged an excursion to the ruined castle of Anadoli Kavák , on the Asian shore , near the mouth of the Black Sea . Mrs. Carvel , who was not a good sailor , stayed at home , but Miss Dabstreak , Madame Patoff , and Hermione were of the party , with Paul , Macaulay Carvel , Professor Cutter , and myself . Macaulay had borrowed a good-sized cutter from one of his many colleagues who kept yachts on the Bosphorus , and at three o'clock in the afternoon we started from the Buyukdere quay . There was a smart northerly breeze as we hoisted the jib , and it was evident that we should have to make several tacks before we could beat up to our destination . The boat was of about ten tons burden , with a full deck , broken only by a well leading to the cabin ; a low rail ran round the bulwarks , for the yacht was intended for pleasure excursions and the accommodation of ladies . The members of the party sat in a group on the edge of the well , and I took the helm . |
2684 | 10 | ten
o'clock | true | 42 | 44 | A sort of ghastly laughter was forcing its way up in his throat . Was everyone talking of the murder he had committed ? Even the very scarecrows ? There are some natures so constituted that , due to be hung at ten o'clock , they will play chess at eight . Such men invariably rise . They make especially good bishops , editors , judges , impresarios , Prime ministers , money-lenders , and generals ; in fact , fill with exceptional credit any position of power over their fellow-men . They have spiritual cold storage , in which are preserved their nervous systems . |
2684 | 3 | three o'clock | true | 41 | 43 | Either Larry had had presence of mind to do a very clever thing , or someone had been at the body before the police found it . That was the more likely . A dead backwater of a place . At three o'clock -- loneliest of all hours -- Larry 's five minutes ' grim excursion to and fro might well have passed unseen ! Now , it all depended on the girl ; on whether Laurence had been seen coming to her or going away ; on whether , if the man 's relationship to her were discovered , she could be relied on to say nothing . There was not a soul in Borrow Street now ; hardly even a lighted window ; and he took one of those rather desperate decisions only possible to men daily accustomed to the instant taking of responsibility . He would go to her , and see for himself . |
2684 | 9 | nine in the morning | true | 31 | 35 | `` Nor going out in the morning ? '' `` I do not think it . '' `` Have you a servant ? '' `` Only a woman who comes at nine in the morning for an hour . '' `` Does she know Larry ? '' `` No . '' `` Friends , acquaintances ? '' |
2684 | 5 | five o'clock | true | 61 | 63 | He walked on sharply , and let himself into his house . But on his way upstairs he could not for the life of him help raising a corner of a curtain and looking from the staircase window . The policeman was marching solemnly , about twenty-five yards away , paying apparently no attention to anything whatever . Keith woke at five o'clock , his usual hour , without remembrance . But the grisly shadow started up when he entered his study , where the lamp burned , and the fire shone , and the coffee was set ready , just as when yesterday afternoon Larry had stood out there against the wall . For a moment he fought against realisation ; then , drinking off his coffee , sat down sullenly at the bureau to his customary three hours ' study of the day 's cases . Not one word of his brief could he take in . |
2684 | 0 | midnight | true | 89 | 90 | Testimony of the hotel-keeper where Walenn had been staying , the identification of his body , and of a snake-shaped ring he had been wearing at dinner that evening . Testimony of a pawnbroker , that this same ring was pawned with him the first thing yesterday morning by the prisoner . Testimony of a policeman that he had noticed the man Evan several times in Glove Lane , and twice moved him on from sleeping under that arch . Testimony of another policeman that , when arrested at midnight , Evan had said : `` Yes ; I took the ring off his finger . I found him there dead ... . I know I ought n't to have done it ... . I 'm an educated man ; it was stupid to pawn the ring . |
2684 | 5 | five o'clock | true | 91 | 93 | When he had her in his arms he felt no remorse for killing the coarse , handsome brute who had ruined her . He savagely rejoiced in it . But when she laid her head in the hollow of his shoulder , turning to him her white face with the faint colour-staining on the parted lips , the cheeks , the eyelids ; when her dark , wide-apart , brown eyes gazed up in the happiness of her abandonment -- he felt only tenderness and protection . He left her at five o'clock , and had not gone two streets ' length before the memory of the little grey vagabond , screwed back in the far corner of the dock like a baited raccoon , of his dreary , creaking voice , took possession of him again ; and a kind of savagery mounted in his brain against a world where one could be so tortured without having meant harm to anyone . At the door of his lodgings Keith was getting out of a cab . They went in together , but neither of them sat down ; Keith standing with his back to the carefully shut door , Laurence with his back to the table , as if they knew there was a tug coming . And Keith said : `` There 's room on that boat . |
2684 | 12 | about noon | true | 102 | 104 | They never went out together . He would stay in bed late , while Wanda bought what they needed for the day 's meals ; lying on his back , hands clasped behind his head , recalling her face , the movements of her slim , rounded , supple figure , robing itself before his gaze ; feeling again the kiss she had left on his lips , the gleam of her soft eyes , so strangely dark in so fair a face . In a sort of trance he would lie till she came back . Then get up to breakfast about noon off things which she had cooked , drinking coffee . In the afternoon he would go out alone and walk for hours , any where , so long as it was East . To the East there was always suffering to be seen , always that which soothed him with the feeling that he and his troubles were only a tiny part of trouble ; that while so many other sorrowing and shadowy creatures lived he was not cut off . To go West was to encourage dejection . |
2684 | 11 | eleven o'clock | true | 45 | 47 | He drank champagne . It helped to fortify reality , to make shadows seem more shadowy . And down in the smoking-room he sat before the fire , in one of those chairs which embalm after-dinner dreams . He grew sleepy there , and at eleven o'clock rose to go home . But when he had once passed down the shallow marble steps , out through the revolving door which let in no draughts , he was visited by fear , as if he had drawn it in with the breath of the January wind . Larry 's face ; and the girl watching it ! Why had she watched like that ? |
2684 | 22 | about ten o'clock p.m. | true | 31 | 35 | The stuff we have taken is some of that which will be found on the dressing-table . Please bury us together . `` LAURENCE DARRANT . `` January the 28th , about ten o'clock p.m. '' Full five minutes Keith stood with those sheets of paper in his hand , while the clock ticked , the wind moaned a little in the trees outside , the flames licked the logs with the quiet click and ruffle of their intense far-away life down there on the hearth . Then he roused himself , and sat down to read the whole again . There it was , just as Larry had told it to him-nothing left out , very clear ; even to the addresses of people who could identify the girl as having once been Walenn 's wife or mistress . It would convince . |
2684 | 1 | one o'clock | true | 34 | 36 | `` Oh ! I know , that 's what you always say . '' `` You 've a monstrous constitution , Sylvanus . If I drank port and smoked cigars and sat up till one o'clock , I should be in my grave to-morrow . I 'm not the man I was . The fact is , I 've come to see if you can help me . I 'm getting old ; I 'm growing nervous ... '' `` You always were as chickeny as an old hen , Joe . '' |
2684 | 6 | Six o'clock | true | 17 | 19 | `` Yes , sir . '' `` Thank you . What time is it ? '' `` Six o'clock , sir . '' `` Tell Mr. Farney to come and see me tomorrow at noon , about my speech for the general meeting . '' `` Yes , Sir . '' `` Good-night to you . '' |
2684 | 1 | one am | true | 94 | 96 | I am the oldest man here , and my experience of shipping is , I hope , a little greater than that of the two gentlemen who spoke last . I have done my best for you , ladies and gentlemen , and we shall see whether you are going to endorse an indictment of my judgment and of my honour , if I am to take the last speaker seriously . This purchase is for your good . ` There is a tide in the affairs of men ' -- and I for one am not content , never have been , to stagnate . If that is what you want , however , by all means give your support to these gentlemen and have done with it . I tell you freights will go up before the end of the year ; the purchase is a sound one , more than a sound one -- I , at any rate , stand or fall by it . Refuse to ratify it , if you like ; if you do , I shall resign . '' |
2684 | 3 | Quarter to four | true | 18 | 21 | Only ten shares , I think . '' `` Ah ! What time is it ? '' `` Quarter to four , sir . '' `` Get me a taxi . '' After visiting his bank and his solicitors he struggled once more into his cab and caused it to be driven towards Millicent Villas . A kind of sleepy triumph permeated his whole being , bumped and shaken by the cab 's rapid progress . |
2684 | 5 | five o'clock | true | 74 | 76 | High thinking , therefore , decided him at last to answer thus : `` February 19th , 1905 . `` SIR , -- I have received your note . I think it may be fair , before taking further steps in this matter , to ask you for a personal explanation of the circumstances to which I alluded . I therefore propose with your permission to call on you at your private residence at five o'clock to-morrow afternoon . `` Yours faithfully , `` CHARLES VENTNOR . `` SYLVANUS HEYTHORP , Esq. '' Having sent this missive , and arranged in his mind the damning , if circumstantial , evidence he had accumulated , he awaited the hour with confidence , for his nature was not lacking in the cock-surety of a Briton . All the same , he dressed himself particularly well that morning , putting on a blue and white striped waistcoat which , with a cream-coloured tie , set off his fulvous whiskers and full blue eyes ; and he lunched , if anything , more fully than his wont , eating a stronger cheese and taking a glass of special Club ale . |
2684 | 12 | midday | true | 65 | 66 | Then followed silence , dead as ever , till the song of a blackbird , not properly awake , adventured into the hush . And , from staring at the framed brightening light , Ashurst fell asleep . Next day his knee was badly swollen ; the walking tour was obviously over . Garton , due back in London on the morrow , departed at midday with an ironical smile which left a scar of irritation -- healed the moment his loping figure vanished round the corner of the steep lane . All day Ashurst rested his knee , in a green-painted wooden chair on the patch of grass by the yew-tree porch , where the sunlight distilled the scent of stocks and gillyflowers , and a ghost of scent from the flowering-currant bushes . Beatifically he smoked , dreamed , watched . A farm in spring is all birth-young things coming out of bud and shell , and human beings watching over the process with faint excitement feeding and tending what has been born . |
2684 | 4 | four o'clock | true | 87 | 89 | That night he slept like a top , and woke with his knee of almost normal size . He again spent the morning in his chair on the grass patch , scribbling down verses ; but in the afternoon he wandered about with the two little boys Nick and Rick . It was Saturday , so they were early home from school ; quick , shy , dark little rascals of seven and six , soon talkative , for Ashurst had a way with children . By four o'clock they had shown him all their methods of destroying life , except the tickling of trout ; and with breeches tucked up , lay on their stomachs over the trout stream , pretending they had this accomplishment also . They tickled nothing , of course , for their giggling and shouting scared every spotted thing away . Ashurst , on a rock at the edge of the beech clump , watched them , and listened to the cuckoos , till Nick , the elder and less persevering , came up and stood beside him . `` The gipsy bogle zets on that stone , '' he said . |
2684 | 4 | four o'clock | true | 50 | 52 | You know what comes of it ! ' Dusk dropped down without his noticing -- dusk on the carved , Assyrian-looking masses of the rocks . And the voice of Nature said : `` This is a new world for you ! '' As when a man gets up at four o'clock and goes out into a summer morning , and beasts , birds , trees stare at him and he feels as if all had been made new . He stayed up there for hours , till it grew cold , then groped his way down the stones and heather roots to the road , back into the lane , and came again past the wild meadow to the orchard . There he struck a match and looked at his watch . Nearly twelve ! |
2684 | 12 | noon | true | 80 | 81 | it would be madness , would mean giving up all that he respected , and his own self-respect . He turned and walked quickly back towards the station . But memory of that poor , bewildered little figure , those anxious eyes searching the passers-by , smote him too hard again , and once more he turned towards the sea . The cap was no longer visible ; that little spot of colour had vanished in the stream of the noon promenaders . And impelled by the passion of longing , the dearth which comes on one when life seems to be whirling something out of reach , he hurried forward . She was nowhere to be seen ; for half an hour he looked for her ; then on the beach flung himself face downward in the sand . To find her again he knew he had only to go to the station and wait till she returned from her fruitless quest , to take her train home ; or to take train himself and go back to the farm , so that she found him there when she returned . |
2684 | 11 | About eleven o'clock | true | 196 | 199 | And stroking his comely moustache where it had been kissed , he moved out into the sunshine . All the evening , throughout his labours , not inconsiderable , for this jury business had put him behind time , he was afflicted by that restless pleasure in his surroundings ; would break off in mowing the lower lawn to look at the house through the trees ; would leave his study and committee papers , to cross into the drawing-room and sniff its dainty fragrance ; paid a special good-night visit to the children having supper in the schoolroom ; pottered in and out from his dressing room to admire his wife while she was changing for dinner ; dined with his mind perpetually on the next course ; talked volubly of the war ; and in the billiard room afterwards , smoking the pipe which had taken the place of his cigar , could not keep still , but roamed about , now in conservatory , now in the drawing-room , where his wife and the governess were still making swabs . It seemed to him that he could not have enough of anything . About eleven o'clock he strolled out beautiful night , only just dark enough -- under the new arrangement with Time -- and went down to the little round fountain below the terrace . His wife was playing the piano . Mr. Bosengate looked at the water and the flat dark water lily leaves which floated there ; looked up at the house , where only narrow chinks of light showed , because of the Lighting Order . The dreamy music drifted out ; there was a scent of heliotrope . |
2684 | 10 | nearly ten o'clock | true | 50 | 53 | A policeman pulled the little soldier by the arm ; his drab figure with eyes fixed and lustreless , passed down and away . From his very soul Mr. Bosengate wanted to lean out and say : `` Cheer up , cheer up ! I understand . '' It was nearly ten o'clock that evening before he reached home , motoring back from the route march . His physical tiredness was abated , for he had partaken of a snack and a whisky and soda at the hotel ; but mentally he was in a curious mood . His body felt appeased , his spirit hungry . Tonight he had a yearning , not for his wife 's kisses , but for her understanding . |
2684 | 7 | 7 o'clock | true | 72 | 74 | If you would like to have a look in at the opera , come and dine with me quietly ... '' But where ? It was decades since he had dined anywhere in London save at his Club or at a private house . Ah ! that new-fangled place close to Covent Garden ... `` Let me have a line to-morrow morning to the Piedmont Hotel whether to expect you there at 7 o'clock . '' `` Yours affectionately , She would understand that he just wanted to give her a little pleasure ; for the idea that she should guess he had this itch to see her was instinctively unpleasant to him ; it was not seemly that one so old should go out of his way to see beauty , especially in a woman . The journey next day , short though it was , and the visit to his lawyer 's , tired him . |
2684 | 4 | four o'clock | true | 117 | 119 | When he reached home next day he went out to the flower garden , and with the help of Holly , who was very delicate with flowers , gathered a great bunch of carnations . They were , he told her , for ` the lady in grey ' -- a name still bandied between them ; and he put them in a bowl in his study where he meant to tackle Irene the moment she came , on the subject of June and future lessons . Their fragrance and colour would help . After lunch he lay down , for he felt very tired , and the carriage would not bring her from the station till four o'clock . But as the hour approached he grew restless , and sought the schoolroom , which overlooked the drive . The sun-blinds were down , and Holly was there with Mademoiselle Beauce , sheltered from the heat of a stifling July day , attending to their silkworms . Old Jolyon had a natural antipathy to these methodical creatures , whose heads and colour reminded him of elephants ; who nibbled such quantities of holes in nice green leaves ; and smelled , as he thought , horrid . |
2684 | 5 | five o'clock | true | 92 | 94 | For an hour , lost to bodily fatigue , he paced up and down , past the bowl of carnations he had plucked , which mocked him with its scent . Of all things hard to bear , the prostration of will-power is hardest , for one who has always had his way . Nature had got him in its net , and like an unhappy fish he turned and swam at the meshes , here and there , found no hole , no breaking point . They brought him tea at five o'clock , and a letter . For a moment hope beat up in him . He cut the envelope with the butter knife , and read : `` DEAREST UNCLE JOLYON , -- I ca n't bear to write anything that may disappoint you , but I was too cowardly to tell you last night . I feel I ca n't come down and give Holly any more lessons , now that June is coming back . |
2684 | 3 | three o'clock | true | 52 | 54 | He drank his soup , and pushed the tray-table away , lying very quiet until they had removed lunch and left him alone ; but every now and then his eyes twinkled . Coming down ! His heart beat fast , and then did not seem to beat at all . At three o'clock he got up and dressed deliberately , noiselessly . Holly and Mam ` zelle would be in the schoolroom , and the servants asleep after their dinner , he should n't wonder . He opened his door cautiously , and went downstairs . In the hall the dog Balthasar lay solitary , and , followed by him , old Jolyon passed into his study and out into the burning afternoon . |
2685 | 5 | five o’clock in the morning | true | 39 | 44 | She stopped , with an impatient gesture , and waited while he tore off handfuls of leaves and whittled away the side-shoots . `` Do hurry , Lewis ! '' she said . They had left their train at five o'clock in the morning , and had been sitting in the frowsy station , sleepily awaiting the express , when Athalia had had this fancy for climbing the hill so that she might see the view . `` It looks pretty steep , '' her husband warned her . `` It will be something to do , anyhow ! '' she said ; and added , with a restless sigh , `` but you do n't understand that , I suppose . '' |
2685 | 5 | five
o’clock in the morning | true | 93 | 98 | That was why he and she were climbing the hill in the dewy silence of this August morning . Athalia had `` felt '' that she wanted to see the view -- though it would have been better for her to have rested in the station , Lewis thought ; -- -LRB- `` I ought to have coaxed her out of it , '' he reproached himself . -RRB- It certainly was a hard walk , considering that it followed a broken night in the sleeping-car . They had left the train at five o'clock in the morning , and were sitting in the station awaiting the express when Athalia had had this impulse to climb the hill . `` It looks pretty steep , '' Lewis objected ; and she flung out her hands with an impatient gesture . `` I love to climb ! '' she said . |
2687 | 6 | six o’clock | true | 96 | 98 | There was to Lady O'Moy 's mind something very wrong about a woman who preferred a canter to a waltz . It was unnatural ; it was suspicious ; she was not quite sure that it was n't vaguely immoral . At last there had been dinner -- to which she came a full half-hour late , but of so ravishing and angelic an appearance that the sight of her was sufficient to mollify Sir Terence 's impatience and stifle the withering sarcasms he had been laboriously preparing . After dinner -- which was taken at six o'clock -- there was still an hour to spare before the carriage would come to take them into Lisbon . Sir Terence pleaded stress of work , occasioned by the arrival of the Telemachus that morning , and withdrew with Tremayne to the official quarters , to spend that hour in disposing of some of the many matters awaiting his attention . Sylvia , who to Lady O'Moy 's exasperation seemed now for the first time to give a thought to what she should wear that night , went off in haste to gown herself , and so Lady O'Moy was left to her own resources -- which I assure you were few indeed . The evening being calm and warm , she sauntered out into the open . |
2687 | 2 | two o’clock | true | 31 | 33 | she asked him . `` Is it decided yet ? '' `` Yes . I have just heard from him that the Telemachus will put to sea on Sunday morning at two o'clock . '' `` At two o'clock in the morning ! What an uncomfortable hour ! '' `` Tides , as King Canute discovered , are beyond mortal control . |
2687 | 2 | two o’clock in the morning | true | 33 | 38 | `` Is it decided yet ? '' `` Yes . I have just heard from him that the Telemachus will put to sea on Sunday morning at two o'clock . '' `` At two o'clock in the morning ! What an uncomfortable hour ! '' `` Tides , as King Canute discovered , are beyond mortal control . The Telemachus goes out with the ebb . |
2687 | 12 | twelve o’clock | true | 41 | 43 | `` Have n't I ? '' she purred , delighted to have him discover a virtue so unusual in her . Thereafter they discussed details ; or , rather , Tremayne discussed them . He would come up to Monsanto at twelve o'clock to-morrow night in a curricle in which he would drive Dick down to the river at a point where a boat would be waiting to take him out to the Telemachus . She must see that Dick was ready in time . The rest she could safely leave to him . He would come in through the official wing of the building . |
2687 | 0 | midnight | true | 42 | 43 | `` There is my place at Bispo . We should be private in the gardens there . As for time , the sooner the better , though for secrecy 's sake we had better meet at night . Shall we say at midnight ? '' But Sir Terence would agree to none of this . `` To-night is out of the question for me . I have an engagement that will keep me until late . |
2687 | 0 | midnight | true | 48 | 49 | I might be seen going or returning . '' `` Since there are no such scruples on my side , I am ready to come to you here if you prefer it . '' `` It would suit me better . '' `` Then expect me promptly at midnight to-morrow , provided that you can arrange to admit me without my being seen . You will perceive my reasons . '' `` Those gates will be closed , '' said O'Moy , indicating the now gaping massive doors that closed the archway at night . `` But if you knock I shall be waiting for you , and I will admit you by the wicket . '' |
2687 | 0 | midnight | true | 80 | 81 | If there were no way even now of avoiding this duel , at least it must remain secret . Therefore it could not take place here in the enclosed garden of his own quarters , as he had so rashly consented . It should be fought upon neutral ground , where the presence of the body of the slain would not call for explanations by the survivor . From distant Lisbon on the still air came softly the chimes of midnight , and immediately there was a sharp rap upon the little door set in one of the massive gates that closed the archway . Sir Terence went to open the wicket , and Samoval stepped quickly over the sill . He was wrapped in a dark cloak , a broad-brimmed hat obscured his face . Sir Terence closed the door again . |
2687 | 0 | midnight | true | 65 | 66 | The truth would clear him -- since with that truth he would produce witnesses to it , establishing his movements completely . But the truth would send a man to his death ; and so for the sake of that man 's life he was driven into falsehood . `` I was on my way to see you , '' he said . `` At midnight ? '' cried Sir Terence on a note of grim doubt . `` To what purpose ? '' `` Really , Sir Terence , if my word is not sufficient , I refuse to submit to cross-examination . '' |
2687 | 0 | midnight | true | 60 | 61 | As for this tale of a duel , I ask your lordship : Had Captain Tremayne desired a secret meeting with Count Samoval , would he have chosen this of all places in which to hold it ? '' `` This ? '' `` This . The fight -- whoever fought it -- took place in the quadrangle there at midnight . '' He was overcome with astonishment , and he showed it . `` Upon my soul , '' he said , `` I do not appear to have been told any of the facts . Strange that O'Moy should never have mentioned that , '' he muttered , and then inquired suddenly : `` Where was Tremayne arrested ? '' |
2687 | 0 | midnight | true | 43 | 44 | Strange that O'Moy should never have mentioned that , '' he muttered , and then inquired suddenly : `` Where was Tremayne arrested ? '' `` Here , '' she informed him . `` Here ? He was here , then , at midnight ? What was he doing here ? '' `` I do n't know . But whatever he was doing , can your lordship believe that he would have come here to fight a secret duel ? '' |
2687 | 12 | ten minutes past twelve | true | 59 | 63 | He was occupied with the silver in his pantry , having remained up in case Sir Terence , who was working late in his study , should require anything before going to bed . Sir Terence called him , and -- `` At what time did Sir Terence call you ? '' asked the major . `` It was ten minutes past twelve , sir , by the clock in my pantry . '' `` You are sure that the clock was right ? '' `` Quite sure , sir ; I had put it right that same evening . '' `` Very well , then . |
2687 | 12 | ten minutes past twelve | true | 38 | 42 | `` You are sure that the clock was right ? '' `` Quite sure , sir ; I had put it right that same evening . '' `` Very well , then . Sir Terence called you at ten minutes past twelve . Pray continue . '' `` He gave me a letter addressed to the Commissary-general . ` Take that , ' says he , ` to the sergeant of the guard at once , and tell him to be sure that it is forwarded to the Commissary-General first thing in the morning . ' |
2687 | 0 | midnight | true | 92 | 93 | `` I do not see the point of the question , '' said Lord Wellington , replying to that glance . `` Colonel Grant has quite plainly informed the court that his observation of Count Samoval had no slightest connection with this duel , nor was inspired by any knowledge or suspicion on his part that any such duel was to be fought . With that I think the court should be content . It has been necessary for Colonel Grant to explain to the court his own presence at Monsanto at midnight on the 28th . It would have been better , perhaps , had he simply stated that it was fortuitous , although I can understand that the court might have hesitated to accept such a statement . That , however , is really all that concerns the matter . Colonel Grant happened to be there . |
2687 | 11 | twenty minutes to twelve | true | 98 | 102 | The mystery , he repeated , would have been no less in the case of any other opponent than Captain Tremayne ; indeed , in the case of some other opponent it might even have been deeper . It must be remembered , after all , that the place was one to which the accused had free access at all hours . And it was clearly proven that he availed himself of that access on the night in question . Evidence had been placed before the court showing that he had come to Monsanto in a curricle at twenty minutes to twelve at the latest , and there was abundant evidence to show that he was found kneeling beside the body of the dead man at ten minutes past twelve -- the body being quite warm at the time and the breath hardly out of it , proving that he had fallen but an instant before the arrival of Mullins and the other witnesses who had testified . Unless Captain Tremayne could account to the satisfaction of the court for the manner in which he had spent that half-hour , Major Swan did not perceive , when all the facts of motive and circumstance were considered , what conclusion the court could reach other than that Captain Tremayne was guilty of the death of Count Jeronymo de Samoval in a single combat fought under clandestine and irregular conditions , transforming the deed into technical murder . Upon that conclusion the major sat down to mop a brow that was perspiring freely . From Lady O'Moy in the background came faintly , the sound of a half-suppressed moan . |
2687 | 11 | twenty minutes to
twelve | true | 74 | 78 | `` So much , then , for the motives that are alleged to have actuated me . I hope you will conclude that I have answered the prosecution upon that matter . `` Coming to the question of fact , I can not find that there is anything to answer , for nothing has been proved against me . True , it has been proved that I arrived at Monsanto at half-past eleven or twenty minutes to twelve on the night of the 28th , and it has been further proved that half-an-hour later I was discovered kneeling beside the dead body of Count Samoval . But to say that this proves that I killed him is more , I think , if I understood him correctly , than Major Swan himself dares to assert . `` Major Swan is quite satisfied that Samoval came to Monsanto for the purpose of fighting a duel that had been prearranged ; and I admit that the two swords found , which have been proven the property of Count Samoval , and which , therefore , he must have brought with him , are a prima-facie proof of such a contention . But if we assume , gentlemen , that I had accepted a challenge from the Count , let me ask you , can you think of any place less likely to have been appointed or agreed to by me for the encounter than the garden of the adjutant-general 's quarters ? |
2687 | 0 | midnight | true | 152 | 153 | `` Major Swan is quite satisfied that Samoval came to Monsanto for the purpose of fighting a duel that had been prearranged ; and I admit that the two swords found , which have been proven the property of Count Samoval , and which , therefore , he must have brought with him , are a prima-facie proof of such a contention . But if we assume , gentlemen , that I had accepted a challenge from the Count , let me ask you , can you think of any place less likely to have been appointed or agreed to by me for the encounter than the garden of the adjutant-general 's quarters ? Secrecy is urged as the reason for the irregularity of the meeting . What secrecy was ensured in such a place , where interruption and discovery might come at any moment , although the duel was held at midnight ? And what secrecy did I observe in my movements , considering that I drove openly to Monsanto in a curricle , which I left standing at the gates in full view of the guard , to await my return ? Should I have acted thus if I had been upon such an errand as is alleged ? Common sense , I think , should straightway acquit me on the grounds of the locality alone , and I can not think that it should even be necessary for me , so as to complete my answer to an accusation entirely without support in fact or in logic , to account for my presence at Monsanto and my movements during the half-hour in question . '' |
2687 | 11 | twenty minutes to twelve | true | 103 | 107 | `` That is the rule , '' said Sir Terence , `` and rightly so , for , as in the present instance , the prisoner 's own statement may make it necessary . '' The president gave way , thereby renewing Miss Armytage 's terrors and shaking at last even the prisoner 's calm . Sergeant Flynn was the first of the witnesses recalled at Sir Terence 's request , and it was Sir Terence who took up his re-examination . `` You said , I think , that you were standing in the guardroom doorway when Captain Tremayne passed you at twenty minutes to twelve on the night of the 28th ? '' `` Yes , sir . I had turned out upon hearing the curricle draw up . I had come to see who it was . '' |
2687 | 11 | twenty minutes to twelve | true | 40 | 44 | `` None , sir , '' replied the prisoner . Came Private Bates next , and Sir Terence proceeded to question him . . `` You said in your evidence that Captain Tremayne arrived at Monsanto between half-past eleven and twenty minutes to twelve ? '' `` Yes , sir . '' `` You told us , I think , that you determined this by the fact that you came on duty at eleven o'clock , and that it would be half-an-hour or a little more after that when Captain Tremayne arrived ? '' `` Yes , sir . '' |
2687 | 11 | eleven o’clock | true | 50 | 52 | . `` You said in your evidence that Captain Tremayne arrived at Monsanto between half-past eleven and twenty minutes to twelve ? '' `` Yes , sir . '' `` You told us , I think , that you determined this by the fact that you came on duty at eleven o'clock , and that it would be half-an-hour or a little more after that when Captain Tremayne arrived ? '' `` Yes , sir . '' `` That is quite in agreement with the evidence of your sergeant . Now tell the court where you were during the half-hour that followed -- until you heard the guard being turned out by the sergeant . '' |
2687 | 12 | ten minutes past twelve | true | 116 | 120 | A moment ago their way had seemed fairly clear to its members , and they had been inwardly congratulating themselves that they were relieved from the grim necessity of passing sentence upon a brother officer esteemed by all who knew him . But now a subtle change had crept in . The statement drawn by Sir Terence from the sentry appeared flatly to contradict Captain Tremayne 's own account of his movements on the night in question . `` You told the court , '' O'Moy addressed the witness Mullins , consulting his notes as he did so , `` that on the night on which Count Samoval met his death , I sent you at ten minutes past twelve to take a letter to the sergeant of the guard , an urgent letter which was to be forwarded to its destination first thing on the following morning . And it was in fact in the course of going upon this errand that you discovered the prisoner kneeling beside the body of Count Samoval . This is correct , is it not ? '' `` It is , sir . '' |
2683 | 12 | midday | true | 60 | 61 | Death would appear to her for the first time , if this face which she loved were to be drained for ever of light and colour and movement and meaning . A humblebee from the Square Garden boomed in and buzzed idly round the room . She caught her breath in a little sob ... Pierson received that telegram at midday , returning from a lonely walk after his talk with Thirza . Coming from Gratian so self-reliant -- it meant the worst . He prepared at once to catch the next train . Noel was out , no one knew where : so with a sick feeling he wrote : |
2683 | 0 | midnight | true | 74 | 75 | What consolation that a million such telegrams had been read and sorrowed over these last two years ! What comfort that the sun was daily blotted dim for hundreds of bright eyes ; the joy of life poured out and sopped up by the sands of desolation ! `` How long have we got , Cyril ? '' `` I 've engaged a car from the Inn , so I need n't leave till midnight . I 've packed already , to have more time . '' `` Let 's have it to ourselves , then . Let 's go off somewhere . |
2683 | 1 | Nearly one o'clock | true | 31 | 34 | `` What d'you think they 've been doing with themselves ? '' `` Holding each other 's hands , poor dears ! D'you know what time it is , Bob ? Nearly one o'clock . '' `` Well , all I can say is , I 've had a wretched evening . Get to bed , old girl . You 'll be fit for nothing . '' |
2683 | 9 | about
nine o'clock | true | 103 | 106 | He was soon asleep , but Thirza lay awake , not exactly worrying , for that was not her nature , but seeing Noel 's face , pale , languid , passionate , possessed by memory . Noel reached her father 's house next day late in the afternoon . There was a letter in the hall for her . She tore it open , and read : `` MY DARLING LOVE , `` I got back all right , and am posting this at once to tell you we shall pass through London , and go from Charing Cross , I expect about nine o'clock to-night . I shall look out for you , there , in case you are up in time . Every minute I think of you , and of last night . Oh ! |
2683 | 4 | four o'clock | true | 104 | 106 | Her wheel of Regent 's Park was coming full circle , and the sun was up behind the houses , but still no sound of traffic stirred . She stopped before a flower-bed where was some heliotrope , and took a long , luxurious sniff : She could not resist plucking a sprig , too , and holding it to her nose . A sudden want of love had run through every nerve and fibre of her ; she shivered , standing there with her eyes half closed , above the pale violet blossom . Then , noting by her wrist-watch that it was four o'clock , she hurried on , to get to her bed , for she would have to be on duty again at noon . Oh ! the war ! She was tired ! |
2683 | 0 | nearly midnight | true | 45 | 47 | Ah ! if she could see Cyril just for a minute ! In September , 1916 , Saturday still came before Sunday , in spite of the war . For Edward Pierson this Saturday had been a strenuous day , and even now , at nearly midnight , he was still conning his just-completed sermon . A patriot of patriots , he had often a passionate longing to resign his parish , and go like his curate for a chaplain at the Front . It seemed to him that people must think his life idle and sheltered and useless . Even in times of peace he had been sensitive enough to feel the cold draughty blasts which the Church encounters in a material age . |
2683 | 20 | eight in the evening | true | 116 | 120 | And since he was nothing if not conscientious , he always worked himself to the bone . To-day he had risen at half-past six , and after his bath and exercises , had sat down to his sermon -- for , even now , he wrote a new sermon once a month , though he had the fruits of twenty-six years to choose from . True , these new sermons were rather compiled than written , because , bereft of his curate , he had not time enough for fresh thought on old subjects . At eight he had breakfasted with Noel , before she went off to her hospital , whence she would return at eight in the evening . Nine to ten was his hour for seeing parishioners who had troubles , or wanted help or advice , and he had received three to-day who all wanted help , which he had given . From ten to eleven he had gone back to his sermon , and had spent from eleven to one at his church , attending to small matters , writing notices , fixing hymns , holding the daily half-hour Service instituted during wartime , to which but few ever came . He had hurried back to lunch , scamping it so that he might get to his piano for an hour of forgetfulness . |
2683 | 0 | nearly midnight | true | 69 | 71 | From half-past eight to half-past nine he had spent in choir practice , because the organist was on his holiday . Slowly in the cool of the evening he had walked home , and fallen asleep in his chair on getting in . At eleven he had woken with a start , and , hardening his heart , had gone back to his sermon . And now , at nearly midnight , it was still less than twenty minutes long . He lighted one of his rare cigarettes , and let thought wander . How beautiful those pale pink roses were in that old silver bowl-like a little strange poem , or a piece of Debussy music , or a Mathieu Maris picture-reminding him oddly of the word Leila . Was he wrong in letting Noel see so much of Leila ? |
2683 | 2 | nearly two o'clock before | true | 122 | 126 | `` O God , Who in Thy great mercy hath delivered us from peril , take into Thy keeping the souls of these our enemies , consumed by Thy wrath before our eyes ; give us the power to pity them -- men like ourselves . '' But even while he prayed he could see Noel 's face flame-white in the darkness ; and , as that glow in the sky faded out , he felt once more the thrill of triumph . They went down to tell the maids , and for some time after sat up together , talking over what they had seen , eating biscuits and drinking milk , which they warmed on an etna . It was nearly two o'clock before they went to bed . Pierson fell asleep at once , and never turned till awakened at half-past six by his alarum . He had Holy Communion to administer at eight , and he hurried to get early to his church and see that nothing untoward had happened to it . There it stood in the sunlight ; tall , grey , quiet , unharmed , with bell gently ringing . |
2683 | 12 | noon | true | 80 | 81 | I can see you still-wandering in your dress clothes along the river , among the ` holy ' cows . '' But her eyes slid round again , watching her other neighbour and the girl . A violinist had begun to play the Cesar Franck Sonata . It was Pierson 's favourite piece of music , bringing him , as it were , a view of heaven , of devotional blue air where devout stars were shining in a sunlit noon , above ecstatic trees and waters where ecstatic swans were swimming . `` Queer world , Mr. Pierson ! Fancy those boys having to go back to barrack life after listening to that ! What 's your feeling ? |
2683 | 0 | nearly midnight | true | 40 | 42 | Noel stayed up until her father went to bed , then went upstairs at once . She had evidently determined that they should not talk about her . Gratian sat on alone , waiting for her husband ! It was nearly midnight when he came , and she did not tell him the family news till next morning . He received it with a curious little grunt . Gratian saw his eyes contract , as they might have , perhaps , looking at some bad and complicated wound , and then stare steadily at the ceiling . Though they had been married over a year , she did not yet know what he thought about many things , and she waited with a queer sinking at her heart . |
2683 | 6 | six o'clock | true | 98 | 100 | Even the feel of her hand was the same-warm and confident ; and sinking into a chair , he said : `` Please go on , and let me chip in . '' `` We were quarrelling about the Universe , Captain Fort , '' said the man in khaki ; `` delighted to have your help . I was just saying that this particular world has no particular importance , no more than a newspaper-seller would accord to it if it were completely destroyed tomorrow -- '' . rrible catastrophe , total destruction of the world -- six o'clock edition-pyper ! ' I say that it will become again the nebula out of which it was formed , and by friction with other nebula re-form into a fresh shape and so on ad infinitum -- but I ca n't explain why . My wife wonders if it exists at all except in the human mind -- but she ca n't explain what the human mind is . My father-in-law thinks that it is God 's hobby -- but he ca n't explain who or what God is . |
2683 | 9 | nine o'clock | true | 70 | 72 | He felt anger against her , against every one he knew , against life itself . Thrusting his hands deep into the pockets of his thin black overcoat , he plunged into that narrow glowing tunnel of the station booking-office , which led back to the crowded streets . But by the time he reached home his anger had evaporated ; he felt nothing but utter lassitude . It was nine o'clock , and the maids had cleared the dining table . In despair Noel had gone up to her room . He had no courage left , and sat down supperless at his little piano , letting his fingers find soft painful harmonies , so that Noel perhaps heard the faint far thrumming of that music through uneasy dreams . And there he stayed , till it became time for him to go forth to the Old Year 's Midnight Service . |
2683 | 9 | nine o'clock | true | 84 | 86 | She saw that some were pretty , and some only trying to be , that nearly all were powdered and had their eyes darkened and their lips reddened , till she felt her own face to be dreadfully ungarnished : Up in a gallery a small band was playing an attractive jingling hollow little tune ; and the buzz of talk and laughter was almost deafening . `` What will you have , mademoiselle ? '' said the painter . `` It is just nine o'clock ; we must order quickly . '' `` May I have one of those green things ? '' `` Deux cremes de menthe , '' said Lavendie to the waiter . Noel was too absorbed to see the queer , bitter little smile hovering about his face . |
2683 | 9 | half past
nine | true | 42 | 45 | And now , probably , she would never see him again . The train drew up at last . She did not know where George lodged , and would have to go to his hospital . She planned to get there at half past nine , and having eaten a sort of breakfast at the station , went forth into the town . The seaside was still wrapped in the early glamour which haunts chalk of a bright morning . But the streets were very much alive . Here was real business of the war . |
2683 | 1 | half past one | true | 52 | 55 | They 'll send your luggage on from Paddington if you write ; and in the meantime Gracie 's got some things here that you can have . '' `` I 'll have to send a wire to Daddy . '' `` I 'll do that . You come to my diggings at half past one , and I 'll settle you in . Until then , you 'd better stay up here . '' When he had gone she roamed a little farther , and lay down on the short grass , where the chalk broke through in patches . She could hear a distant rumbling , very low , travelling in that grass , the long mutter of the Flanders guns . |
2683 | 5 | Five o'clock | true | 140 | 142 | Some phase of his work , some vision of his wife or daughters started forth from each bit of furniture , picture , doorway . Noiseless , in his slippers , he stole up and down between the study , diningroom , drawing-room , and anyone seeing him at his work in the dim light which visited the staircase from above the front door and the upper-passage window , would have thought : ` A ghost , a ghost gone into mourning for the condition of the world . ' He had to make this reckoning to-night , while the exaltation of his new idea was on him ; had to rummage out the very depths of old association , so that once for all he might know whether he had strength to close the door on the past . Five o'clock struck before he had finished , and , almost dropping from fatigue , sat down at his little piano in bright daylight . The last memory to beset him was the first of all ; his honeymoon , before they came back to live in this house , already chosen , furnished , and waiting for them . They had spent it in Germany -- the first days in Baden-baden , and each morning had been awakened by a Chorale played down in the gardens of the Kurhaus , a gentle , beautiful tune , to remind them that they were in heaven . And softly , so softly that the tunes seemed to be but dreams he began playing those old Chorales , one after another , so that the stilly sounds floated out , through the opened window , puzzling the early birds and cats and those few humans who were abroad as yet ... . |
2683 | 7 | seven o'clock | true | 39 | 41 | Swish-swish ! It had begun again . She rose , stretched herself , and went back to her place in the row . The field would be finished to-night ; she would have a lovely rest-all Sunday I Towards seven o'clock a narrow strip , not twenty yards broad , alone was left . This last half hour was what Noel dreaded . To-day it was worse , for the farmer had no cartridges left , and the rabbits were dealt with by hullabaloo and sticks and chasing dogs . Rabbits were vermin , of course , and ate the crops , and must be killed ; besides , they were good food , and fetched two shillings apiece ; all this she knew but to see the poor frightened things stealing out , pounced on , turned , shouted at , chased , rolled over by great swift dogs , fallen on by the boys and killed and carried with their limp grey bodies upside down , so dead and soft and helpless , always made her feel quite sick . |
14626 | 4 | 4 a.m. | true | 3 | 5 | `` Sail at 4 a.m. , '' said Captain Jack Templeton of the U.S.S. Plymouth , laying down the long manila envelope marked `` Secret . '' `` Acknowledge by signal , '' he directed the ship 's messenger , and then looked inquiringly about the wardroom table . `` Aye , aye , sir , '' said the first officer , Lieutenant Frank Chadwick . `` Ready at four , sir , '' said the engineer officer , Thomas ; and left his dinner for a short trip to the engine room to push some belated repairs . |
14626 | 0 | midnight | true | 82 | 83 | `` Aye , aye , sir , '' said the first officer , Lieutenant Frank Chadwick . `` Ready at four , sir , '' said the engineer officer , Thomas ; and left his dinner for a short trip to the engine room to push some belated repairs . `` Send a patrol ashore to round up the liberty party , '' continued Captain Templeton , this time addressing the junior watch officer . `` Tell them to be aboard at midnight instead of eight in the morning . '' `` Aye , aye , sir , '' said the junior watch officer , and departed in haste . There was none of the bustle and confusion aboard the U.S.S. Plymouth , at that moment lying idle in a British port , that the landsman would commonly associate with sailing orders to a great destroyer . Blowers began to hum in the fire rooms . |
14626 | 0 | midnight | true | 43 | 44 | The torpedo gunner 's mates slipped detonators in the warheads and looked to the rack load of depth charges . The steward made a last trip across to the depot ship . Otherwise , things ran on very much as before . At midnight the junior watch officer called the captain , who had turned in several hours earlier , and reported : `` Liberty party all on board , sir . '' Then he turned in for a few hours ' rest himself . The junior watch was astir again at three o'clock . He routed out a sleepy crew to hoist boats and secure for sea . |
14626 | 3 | three o'clock | true | 60 | 62 | Otherwise , things ran on very much as before . At midnight the junior watch officer called the captain , who had turned in several hours earlier , and reported : `` Liberty party all on board , sir . '' Then he turned in for a few hours ' rest himself . The junior watch was astir again at three o'clock . He routed out a sleepy crew to hoist boats and secure for sea . Seven bells struck on the Plymouth . Captain Templeton appeared on the bridge . |
14626 | 4 | 4
a.m. | true | 46 | 48 | `` Coffee for the men , '' said Captain Templeton . The morning coffee was served on deck in the darkness . Lights appeared in the distance , and presently another destroyer joined the Plymouth . Running lights of two more appeared as the clock struck 4 a.m. Captain Templeton signalled the engine room for two-thirds speed ahead . Running lights were blanketed on the four destroyers , and the ships fell into column . Lieutenant Chadwick felt a drop on his face . He held out a hand . |
14626 | 12 | noon | true | 35 | 36 | Frank kept an eye forward . Directly he got a return flash from the ship ahead , and then picked up her shape again . Morning dawned and still the fleet sped on . Toward noon the weather cleared . Officer and men kept their watches by regular turn during the day . At sundown the four destroyers slowed down and circled around in a slow column . The eyes of every officer watched the clock . |
14626 | 12 | Twelve o'clock | true | 44 | 46 | On the bridge the heave and pitch of the vessel was felt subconsciously , but the eyes and minds of the officers were busied with other things . At every touch of the helm the vessel vibrated heavily . Eight bells struck . `` Twelve o'clock , '' said Frank . `` Time to eat . '' The bridge was turned over to the second officer , and Frank and Jack went below . `` Eat is right , Frank , '' said Jack as they sat down . |
14626 | 7 | seven o'clock | true | 23 | 25 | Keep lookout for inbound transports to be convoyed . Ten ships . '' Again the destroyer swung into line . It was almost seven o'clock -- after dark -- when the lookout aboard the Plymouth reported : `` Smoke ahead ! '' Instantly all was activity aboard the destroyers . Directly , through his glass , Jack sighted nine rusty , English tramp steamers , of perhaps eight thousand tons , and a big liner auxiliary flying the Royal Navy ensign . Under the protection of the destroyers , the ships made for an English port . |
14626 | 4 | 4 a.m. | true | 32 | 34 | Frank snapped his binoculars on a bobbing black spar . `` Buoy and fishnet , '' he decided after a quick scrutiny . Frank kept the late watch that night . At 4 a.m. he turned in . At five he climbed hastily from his bunk at the jingle of general alarm , and reached the bridge on the run in time to see the exchange of recognition signals with a British man-o ' - war , which vessel had run into a submarine while the latter was on the surface in a fog . The warship had just rammed the U-boat . `` Can we help you ? '' |
14626 | 0 | midnight | true | 58 | 59 | Frank turned on his heel and went on deck , where he relieved Lieutenant Hetherton , who had been on watch . `` Nothing to report , sir , '' said Lieutenant Hetherton , saluting . `` Very well , sir , '' was Frank 's reply , as he , too , saluted . It was after midnight , and Frank 's watch was nearing its end when the lookout on the port side called : `` Boat off the port bow , sir . '' Frank advanced to the rail . A moment later there was a hail from the water . `` What ship is that ? ' |
14626 | 0 | one minute after midnight on April 23 | true | 60 | 67 | But in the first few volleys , none of the enemy shells found their marks . Jack was conning the ship from the port forward , the flame-thrower hut . Frank , with directions as to handling of the ship should Jack be disabled , was in the conning tower , from which the Brigadier was being steered . At one minute after midnight on April 23 , the program time for attack being midnight , the Vindictive was put alongside the Mole and the starboard anchor was let go . At this time the noise of cannonading was terrific . During the previous few minutes , the ship had been hit by a large number of shells , which had resulted in heavy casualties . As there was some doubt as to the starboard anchor having gone clear , the port anchor was dropped close to the foot of the Mole and the cable bowsed-to , with less than a shackle out . |
14626 | 12 | noon | true | 35 | 36 | `` Where do you make our position , sir ? '' asked Lieutenant Hetherton . `` Off the Virginia Capes , '' was Jack 's reply . `` We should pick up Fort Monroe before noon . '' Jack was a good prophet . It still lacked half an hour of midday when the outlines of the historic fortress at Old Point became distinguishable in the distance . The Essex slipped quietly through the smooth waters of Hampton Roads and dropped anchor some distance off shore . |
14626 | 14 | 2 o'clock in the afternoon | true | 34 | 39 | `` You return to your hotel , '' said the ambassador . `` I 'll arrange the audience and call for you in my automobile . '' The lads followed these instructions . At 2 o'clock in the afternoon the ambassador called for them . They were driven at once to the War and Navy department building on Pennsylvania avenue and were ushered almost immediately to the offices of Secretary Daniels . After a wait of perhaps five minutes , Mr. Daniels ' private secretary announced . `` Mr. Daniels will see you now . '' |
Subsets and Splits