nearly eight o'clock
In ten minutes the house was before them , framed in by dripping trees . Mountclere jumped out , and entered without ceremony . Sol , being anxious to know if Lord Mountclere was there , ordered the coachman to wait a few moments . It was now nearly eight o'clock , and the smoke which ascended from the newly-lit fires of the Court painted soft blue tints upon the brown and golden leaves of lofty boughs adjoining . ` O , Ethelberta ! ' said Sol , as he regarded the fair prospect . The gravel of the drive had been washed clean and smooth by the night 's rain , but there were fresh wheelmarks other than their own upon the track .