ten o'clock
After dinner , during which they were again objects of interest , they strolled off towards the castle , smoking their cigars and enjoying the glorious air . Being a stranger in a strange land , Lorry acted on the romantic painter 's advice and also stuck a revolver in his pocket . He laughed at the suggestion tha there might be use for the weapon in such a quiet , model , well-regulated town , but Anguish insisted : `` I 've seen a lot of these fellows around town who look like genuine brigands and cutthroats , and I think it just as well that we be prepared , '' asserted he , positively , and his friend gratified what he called a whim . At ten o'clock the slender moon dropped behind the mountain , and the valley , which had been touched with its tender light , gradually took on the somberness and stillness of a star-lit night . The town slumbered at eleven , and there were few lights to be seen in the streets or in the houses . Here and there strolled the white-uniformed police guards ; occasionally soldiers hurried barracksward ; now and then belated citizens moved through the dense shadows on the sidewalks , but the Americans saw still life in its reality . Returning from their stroll beside the castle-walls , far to the west of where they had entered the grounds that afternoon , they paused in the middle of Castle Avenue , near the main gate , and looked down the dark , deserted street .