the hour of
eleven o'clock
They felt for Connor now on his own account , and remembered only his amiable and excellent character . In addition to this , the history of the mutual attachment between him and Una having become the topic of general conversation , the rash act for which he stood committed was good-humoredly resolved into a foolish freak of love ; for which it would be a thousand murders to take away his life . In such mood were the public and the parties most interested in the event of our story , when the morning dawned of that awful day which was to restore Connor O'Donovan to the hearts that loved him so well , or to doom him , a convicted felon , to a shameful and ignominious death . At length the trial came on , and our unhappy prisoner , at the hour of eleven o'clock , was placed at the bar of his country to stand the brunt of a government prosecution . Common report had already carried abroad the story of Una 's love and his , many interesting accounts of which had got into the papers of the day . When he stood forward , therefore , all eyes were eagerly riveted upon him ; the judge glanced at him with calm , dispassionate scrutiny , and the members of the bax , especially the juniors , turned round , surveyed him through their glasses with a gaze in which might be read something more than that hard indifference which familiarity with human crime and affliction ultimately produces even in dispositions most human and amiable . No sooner had the curiosity of the multitude been gratified , than a murmur of pity , blended slightly with surprise and approbation , ran lowly through the court-house .