nine o'clock
He saw Peter safely away in charge of a sympathetic `` boots '' before he and Jock ascended to a bedroom with three small windows in the most unexpected places , a bright , cheery paper , and two small white beds . Next morning the sun peeped in at all the odd-shaped windows on the two boys sprawled over their beds in the attitudes in which they said they best enjoyed slumber . It was another crystal-clear morning , with mist in the hollows and the hilltops sharp against the sky . When Stark , taciturn as ever , came to the door at nine o'clock , he found his party impatiently awaiting him on the doorstep , eager for another day of new roads and fresh scenes . Jean asked him laughingly if Wilfred the Gazelle would live up to its name this run , but Stark received the pleasantry coldly , having no use for archness in any form . It was wonderful to rush through the morning air still sharp from a touch of frost in the night , ascending higher and higher into the hills . Mhor sang to himself in sheer joy of heart , and though no one knew what were the words he sang , and Jock thought poorly of the tune , Peter snuggled up to him and seemed to understand and like it .