nine o’clock
It was not merely that his own fortunes were largely at stake , but it was the dreadful position in which he would stand before this immense concourse of people , many of whom had put their money upon his judgment , if he should find himself at the last moment with an impotent excuse instead of a champion to put before them . What a situation for a man who prided himself upon his aplomb , and upon bringing all that he undertook to the very highest standard of success ! I , who knew him well , could tell from his wan cheeks and his restless fingers that he was at his wit 's ends what to do ; but no stranger who observed his jaunty bearing , the flecking of his laced handkerchief , the handling of his quizzing glass , or the shooting of his ruffles , would ever have thought that this butterfly creature could have had a care upon earth . It was close upon nine o'clock when we were ready to start for the Downs , and by that time my uncle 's curricle was almost the only vehicle left in the village street . The night before they had lain with their wheels interlocking and their shafts under each other 's bodies , as thick as they could fit , from the old church to the Crawley Elm , spanning the road five-deep for a good half-mile in length . Now the grey village street lay before us almost deserted save by a few women and children . Men , horses , carriages -- all were gone .