about four in the morning
` Sit down and warm yourself , ' said Logan , pushing forward a ponderous oaken chair , with a high back and short arms . ` I know a good deal , ' said Merton , his curiosity hurrying him to the point ; ` but first , Logan , what is the rope on the stakes driven in round the house for ? ' ` That was my first precaution , ' said Logan . ` I heard of the -- of what has happened -- about four in the morning , and I instantly knocked in the stakes -- hard work with the frozen ground -- and drew the rope along , to isolate the snow about the house . When I had done that , I searched the snow for footmarks . ' ` When had the snow begun to fall ? ' ` About midnight .