six o'clock
He had fished out a length of old net from his stores , and turned it to great account . He had draped it in folds over Gray Robin 's broad flanks , and brought it round his chest , and wherever the threads would hold a stem he had stuck in red and white and yellow roses , and had tied bunches of them at his ears and along his bridle , so that the steady old horse looked like an ancient charger in his armour . And as I watched him examining into all these things I could see his wonder grow , and he asked himself what , in the name of Hay , his friends and acquaintances would think of it all when they saw him , and he snuffled with disgust . It was close upon six o'clock when Gray Robin pricked up his ears at sound of hoofs in the lane between the high hedges , and young Torode rode up on Black Boy . He drew rein sharply at sight of me , and a curse jerked out of him . And at sight of Gray Robin in his gay trappings , Black Boy danced on his hind legs and pretended to be frightened out of his wits . Torode brought him to reason with a violent hand , and flung himself off with a black face .