six o'clock
But , as the danger was of an entirely unprecedented character , it is not to be wondered at that I should be completely at a loss to divine what its meaning was . It was a blight some people said ; and many were of opinion that it was caused by clouds of animalculæ coming , as is described in ancient writings , to destroy the crops , and even to affect the health of the population . The doctors scoffed at this ; but they talked about malaria , which , as far as I could understand , was likely to produce exactly the same effect . The night closed in early as the day had dawned late ; the lamps were lighted before six o'clock , and daylight had only begun about ten ! Figure to yourself , a July day ! There ought to have been a moon almost at the full ; but no moon was visible , no stars -- nothing but a grey veil of clouds , growing darker and darker as the moments went on ; such I have heard are the days and the nights in England , where the seafogs so often blot out the sky . But we are unacquainted with anything of the kind in our _ plaisant pays de France _ .