eight o'clock
He had the wonderful , upborne feeling of man on the verge of achievement . His spirit and senses were both on fire -- for that was the quality of this woman , she suffered no part of him to sleep , and he was glad of her exactions . He drank some tea ; went out , and took a path up to the moor . It was not yet eight o'clock when he reached the top of the nearest tor . And there , below him , around , and above , was a land and sky transcending even his exaltation . It was like a symphony of great music ; or the nobility of a stupendous mind laid bare ; it was God up there , in His many moods . Serenity was spread in the middle heavens , blue , illimitable , and along to the East , three huge clouds , like thoughts brooding over the destinies below , moved slowly toward the sea , so that great shadows filled the valleys .