one o'clock in the afternoon
`` Very good , '' said De Chemerant . After a moment 's silence he said , `` Tell me , baron , how long would it take to go to Devil 's Cliff ? '' `` About eleven hours ; the roads are difficult , one could not reach there before nightfall . '' `` Well , then , baron , '' said De Chemerant , taking out his watch , `` in two hours from now , that is to say , at one o'clock in the afternoon , you will have the goodness to order thirty of your most reliable guards to arm themselves , to provide themselves with scaling ladders , one or two bombs , and to hold themselves in readiness to follow and obey me as they would yourself . '' `` But , sir , if you wish to go to Devil 's Cliff , you must start at once in order to arrive by daylight . '' `` Doubtless baron ; but as I desire to arrive in the middle of the night , you will see the wisdom of my not starting for two hours . '' `` That is another thing , sir . ''