the hour of ten
Here it comes now . Step out , Phil . '' As he spoke , a blast of wind from the mountains struck us , and a few needles of cold rain beat against our right cheeks . We were soon inside again , when , having shut our door , we sat down to a game of checkers , in which we became so absorbed that we failed to note the lapse of time until Tom 's dollar clock , hanging on the wall , banged out the hour of ten . `` To bed , Joe ! '' I cried , springing out of my chair . `` Why , we have n't been up so late for weeks . ''