five hours after
noon
Birdalone spake in a while , and that while he gazed upon her eagerly ; she said : I shall now tell thee that I shall abide the adventure of the waking to-night , whatever befall . And I , said he , will so do that thou mayst fear me the less ; for I will unarm me when the night cometh , and thou thyself shalt keep mine hauberk and sword and anlace . She said : It is well ; I will take that , lest desire overmaster thee . They spake no more of it at that time , and it was now five hours after noon . Birdalone arose , for she found it hard to sit still and abide nightfall : she went without the two first rings of the Greywethers , which were set in more open order beyond that , and she looked all about her , to the black rocks on either side , and to the great black wall at the dale 's ending , and the blue mountains aloof beyond it ; then down toward the plain of the dale came her eyes , and she looked through the tangle of the grey stones . Now she seemed to be looking more intently upon some one thing ; with that she called to her the Black Knight , who was hanging about watching her , and she said to him : Fair sir , art thou clear-seeing and far-seeing ? I am not thought to be purblind , quoth he .