eight o'clock
`` If Fanny were to prove false to me , I should lie down and die , '' exclaimed Oaklands vehemently . `` You might wish to do so , '' replied I ; `` but grief does ~ 411 ~ ~ not always kill ; if it did , in many cases it would lose half its bitterness . '' A look was his only answer , and we parted for the night . Daylight the next morning found me again in the saddle , and I reached the little inn by eight o'clock . On my arrival , I despatched a messenger to old Peter Barnett , telling him I wished to see him , and then , determining that I would not allow myself to hope , only again to be disappointed , I rang for breakfast , and set resolutely to work to demolish it ; in which I succeeded very respectably , merely stopping to walk round the room and look out of the window between every second mouthful . At length my envoy returned , with a message to the effect that Mr. Barnett would come down in the course of the morning , but that I was by no means to go away without seeing him , and that he hoped I would be careful not to show myself , as the enemy were out in great force , and all the sentries had been doubled . `` What does he mean by that ? ''