the
hour of eleven
The entire space , some twenty feet by forty , was subdivided into several small sleeping-rooms ; the apartment into which he first entered , serving equally for the ordinary uses of its inmates , and for a kitchen . The furniture was of the strange mixture that it is not uncommon to find in the remotely situated log-tenements of the interior . Most of it was rude , and to the last degree rustic ; but there was a clock , with a handsome case of dark wood , in a corner , and two or three chairs , with a table and bureau , that had evidently come from some dwelling of more than usual pretension . The clock was industriously ticking , but its leaden-looking hands did no discredit to their dull aspect , for they pointed to the hour of eleven , though the sun plainly showed it was some time past the turn of the day . There was also a dark , massive chest . The kitchen utensils were of the simplest kind , and far from numerous , but every article was in its place , and showed the nicest care in its condition . After Deerslayer had cast a look about him in the outer room , he raised a wooden latch , and entered a narrow passage that divided the inner end of the house into two equal parts .