three o’clock in the afternoon
It was in this way that the poor little fellow had spent nearly the whole of his short existence , -- either in the kitchen or with the servants , fondled , scolded , and educated by hirelings . The mother herself frequently had not seen her child even for a minute a day . She had the conviction that her husband had deserved no better treatment at her hands , and because of that she scarcely gave him a thought during these last hours spent at her home . When she boarded , at three o'clock in the afternoon , a first-class compartment of the express train for Frankfort , she did so with a spirit light and almost gay . And the same was true of Borgert . He likewise cast to the winds any slight sentiments of regret at leaving the garrison , and as the train , some hours after Frau Leimann 's departure , went shrieking and thundering out of the little station , he felt that he was being carried on to a brighter future . That was enough for him .