about
four o'clock
It was now June 7th . In four days would come the fair . As the time for it drew near , his anxiety lest anything should interfere to prevent his going to it with Maddalena increased , and each day at post time he was filled with a fever of impatience to know whether there would be a letter from Africa or not . Antonino generally appeared about four o'clock , but the letters were in the village long before then , and this afternoon Maurice felt that he could not wait for the boy 's coming . He had a conviction that there was a letter , a decisive letter from Hermione , fixing at last the date of her arrival with Artois . He must have it in his hands at the first possible moment . If he went himself to the post he would know the truth at least an hour and a half sooner than if he waited in the house of the priest .