eleven o’clock
As he thus spoke his funeral oration over the Barricini , Brandolaccio hastily guided Orso , Chilina , and Brusco , the dog , toward the Stazzona _ maquis _ . Meanwhile , very shortly after Orso 's departure , Colomba 's spies had warned her that the Barricini were out on the warpath , and from that moment she was racked by the most intense anxiety . She was to be seen moving hither and thither all over the house , between the kitchen and the rooms that were being made ready for her guests , doing nothing , yet always busy , and constantly stopping to look out of a window for any unusual stir in the village . Toward eleven o'clock , a somewhat numerous cavalcade rode into Pietranera . This was the colonel , with his daughter , their servants , and their guide . Colomba 's first word , as she welcomed them , was `` Have you seen my brother ? '' Then she questioned the guide as to the road they had taken , and the hour of their departure , and having heard his answers , she could not understand why they had not met him .