nine o'clock
He ground his teeth in a fever of vexation and dismay . He had a vision of Agnes waiting , wondering why he did not come . It was this vision that kept him from seeing the burr in the wheel-track , partly covered by a clod . Once he passed it looking wildly at his watch , which was showing nine o'clock . Another time he passed it with eyes dimmed with a mist that was almost tears of anger . There is no contrivance that will replace an axle-burr , and farm-yards have no unused axle-burrs , and so Will searched . Each moment he said : `` I 'll give it up , get onto one of the horses , and go down and tell her . ''