eight o'clock
Yet he was so clearly a man in authority that a casual observer could scarcely have failed to perceive that these devout pilgrims , from Italy , from France , from far-off Poland , and Saragossa close at hand in Catalonia , had come to meet him and were subordinate to him . It was probably no small task to command such men as Evasio Mon -- and the other four seemed no less pliable behind their gentle smile . When the dessert had been placed on the table and one or two had reflectively eaten a baked almond , more from habit than desire , the little wizened man looked round the table with the manner of a rather absent-minded host . `` It is eight o'clock , '' he said in French . `` The monastery gate closes at half-past . We have no time to discuss our business at this table . Shall we go within the monastery gates ?