eight o'clock in the evening
And Amos Green had heard the king 's message , and realised its importance . It was true that he knew nothing of Paris , but surely a man who could pick his way at night through the forests of Maine would not be baulked in finding so well-known a house as that of the Archbishop of Paris . But then there came a sudden thought which turned De Catinat 's heart to lead . The city gates were locked at eight o'clock in the evening . It was now nearly nine . It would have been easy for him , whose uniform was a voucher for his message , to gain his way through . But how could Amos Green , a foreigner and a civilian , hope to pass ?