eleven o'clock
They kept pushing on ; and Step Hen began to believe they must be many miles from their starting point ; at any rate he began to feel a little heavy-footed , though too proud to mention the fact to Thad . Besides , Step Hen had walked pretty good distances before , and believed that he must soon get what he called his `` second wind . '' After that he would be good for hours , he fancied . It must have been well on to eleven o'clock when Thad felt his companion nudge him in the back . As he turned to look , Step Hen made a suggestive gesture with his head , and pointed upwards . There was a dead gray sky above them , and already a few scattered flakes of snow , really the first of the season , were drifting downward , looking like tiny feathers plucked from the downy breast of a snow goose . Thad simply nodded his head to indicate that he too had observed them ; and at the same time he shook his finger toward Step Hen , afraid lest the other might be itching to start a conversation .