about a quarter to four in
the morning
He could think and he could act also . Harold threw on his coat , extinguished the large stable lantern , and passing out , locked the door of the summer-house and started down the mount at a trot . The wind had risen steadily during his hours of work , and was now blowing a furious gale . It was about a quarter to four in the morning and the stars shone brightly in the hard clean-blown sky . By their light and that of the waning moon he struggled on in the teeth of the raging tempest . As he passed under one of the oaks he heard a mighty crack overhead , and guessing what it was ran like a hare . He was none too soon .