about nine o’clock in the morning
But as he moved onward the thought of his promise to the prefect , and , above all , his fear of missing Miss Nevil 's visit , altered his feelings , and made him almost wish he might not come upon Orlanduccio . Soon , however , the memory of his father , the indignity offered to his own horse , and the threats of the Barricini , stirred his rage afresh , and incited him to seek his foe , and to provoke and force him to a fight . Thus tossed by conflicting feelings , he continued his progress , though now he carefully scrutinized every thicket and hedge , and sometimes even pulled up his horse to listen to the vague sounds to be heard in any open country . Ten minutes after he had left little Chilina -LRB- it was then about nine o'clock in the morning -RRB- he found himself on the edge of an exceedingly steep declivity . The road , or rather the very slight path , which he was following , ran through a _ maquis _ that had been lately burned . The ground was covered with whitish ashes , and here and there some shrubs , and a few big trees , blackened by the flames , and entirely stripped of their leaves , still stood erect -- though life had long since departed out of them . The sight of a burned _ maquis _ is enough to make a man fancy he has been transported into midwinter in some northern clime , and the contrast between the barrenness of the ground over which the flames have passed , with the luxuriant vegetation round about it , heightens this appearance of sadness and desolation .