four
o'clock in the afternoon
When noon came he dismounted at a farmer 's out-building beside the road -- he would not trust the public-houses -- fed and watered his horse , rubbed him down himself , and after an hour 's rest pushed on toward the fork in the road to Moorlands . Beyond this was a cross-path that led to the outbarns and farm stables -- a path bordered by thick bushes and which skirted a fence in the rear of the manor house itself . Here he intended to tie his steed and there he would mount him again should his mission fail . The dull winter sky had already heralded the dusk -- it was near four o'clock in the afternoon -- when he passed some hayricks where a group of negroes were at work . One or two raised their heads and then , as if reassured , resumed their tasks . This encouraged him to push on the nearer -- he had evidently been mistaken for one of the many tradespeople seeking his father 's overseer , either to sell tools or buy produce . Tying the horse close to the fence -- so close that it could not be seen from the house -- he threw the bundle of silks over his shoulder and struck out for the small office in the rear .