about four o’clock
It was even thought that one could detect cries , sobs , and the monologues of a madman addressing phantoms , some mysterious rendering of worship to the dead who haunted him . And at the works during the day which followed Morange gave alarming signs of distress , of the final sinking of his mind into a flood of gloom . Ever darting troubled glances around him , he was tortured by internal combats , which , without the slightest motive , made him descend the stairs a dozen times , linger before the machinery in motion , and then return to his additions up above , with the bewildered , distracted air of one who could not find what he sought so painfully . When the darkness fell , about four o'clock on that gloomy winter day , the two clerks whom he had with him in his office noticed that he altogether ceased working . From that moment , indeed , he waited with his eyes fixed upon the clock . And when five o'clock struck he once more made sure that a certain total was correct , then rose and went out , leaving the ledger open , as if he meant to return to check the next addition . He followed the gallery which led to the passage connecting the workshops with the private house .