nearly four
o'clock
Marie had been sharp enough to perceive who was coming before they were out of the carriage , and was already ensconced in some safer retreat up-stairs , in which she could meditate on her plan of the campaign . ` Look lively , and get us something to eat , ' said Michel , meaning to be cheerful and self-possessed . ` We left Basle at five , and have not eaten a mouthful since . ' It was now nearly four o'clock , and the bread and cheese which had been served with the wine on the top of the mountain had of course gone for nothing . Madame Voss immediately began to bustle about , calling the cook and Peter Veque to her assistance . But nothing for a while was said about Marie . Urmand , trying to look as though he were self-possessed , stood with his back to the stove , and whistled .