about ten o'clock
They had a pleasant afternoon stroll along the pebbly beach of the broad waters . They sauntered at their leisure , watching the ships sail up or down the river ; looking at the sea-fowl dart up from the reeds and float far away ; glancing at the little fish leaping up and disappearing in the waves ; and pausing once in a while to pick up a pretty shell or stone ; and so at last they reached the cottage of the overseer Brown , which stood just upon the point of a little promontory that jutted out into the river . They spent a social evening with the overseer and his wife and their half a dozen buxom boys and girls . And about ten o'clock they walked home by starlight . Twice a week Reuben Gray went up the river to a little waterside hamlet called Shelton to meet the mail . Reuben 's only correspondent was his master , who wrote occasionally to make inquiries or to give orders . The day after his evening out was the regular day for Reuben to go to the post office .