four
o’clock
And there were yet other things in the depths of those tears which cleansed and purified them ; there were protests against suffering in every form , and ardent wishes that the world might some day be relieved of all its dreadful woe . At last , after pushing the flagstone over the cavity near the pillar , Pierre groped his way out of the vault , leading Guillaume like a child . Meantime Mere-Grand , still seated near the window of the workroom , had impassively continued sewing . Now and again , pending the arrival of four o'clock , she had looked up at the timepiece hanging on the wall on her left hand , or else had glanced out of the window towards the unfinished pile of the basilica , which a gigantic framework of scaffoldings encompassed . Slowly and steadily plying her needle , the old lady remained very pale and silent , but full of heroic serenity . On the other hand , Marie , who sat near her , embroidering , shifted her position a score of times , broke her thread , and grew impatient , feeling strangely nervous , a prey to unaccountable anxiety , which oppressed her heart . For their part , the three young men could not keep in place at all ; it was as if some contagious fever disturbed them .