nine
o'clock
The air grew warmer , and it began to snow . At first it was a fine sprinkle that made a snow-mist , and adhered wherever it fell . The traffic speedily became less , and things looked big in the thick air . The boy was wandering aimlessly through the streets , waiting for nine o'clock . When he thought the hour was near , he realised that he had lost his way . He screwed up his eyes to see if he knew the houses and shops and signs , but everything seemed strange . The snow snowed on , and now it fell in large , corkscrew flakes .