ten o’clock
Reassured by the darkened windows , he boldly opened the iron gate . The hinges had probably been oiled that day , for they turned without grating , and closed as noiselessly as they had opened behind Roland , who walked rapidly in the direction of Pont d'Ain at Bourg . He had hardly gone a hundred yards before the clock at Saint-Just struck once ; that of Montagnac answered like a bronze echo . It was half-past ten o'clock . At the pace the young man was walking he needed only twenty minutes to reach the Chartreuse ; especially if , instead of skirting the woods , he took the path that led direct to the monastery . Roland was too familiar from youth with every nook of the forest of Seillon to needlessly lengthen his walk ten minutes . He therefore turned unhesitatingly into the forest , coming out on the other side in about five minutes .