six o'clock
Down behind the gum trees , across the river , there was a still whiter moon ; a stretch of water near was beginning to smile up to it . Meg hoped it would not climb past the tree-tops before eight o'clock , or the long paddocks would be flooded with light and she would be seen . At tea-time , and during the early part of the evening , she was preoccupied and inclined to be irritable in her anxiety , and she snubbed Bunty two or three times quite unkindly . He had been hovering about her ever since six o'clock in almost a pitiable way . It was characteristic of this small boy that when he had been tempted into departing from the paths of truth he was absolutely wretched until he had confessed , and rubbed his little unclean hands into his wet eyes until he was `` a sight to dream of , not to tell . '' Pip said it was because he was a coward , and had not the moral courage to go to sleep with a lie on his soul , for fear he might wake up and see an angel with a fiery sword standing by his bedside . And I must sorrowfully acknowledge this seemed a truer view of the case than believing the boy was really impressed with the heinousness of his offence and anxious to make amends .