about seven in the morning
The fences were dry as tinder , and the ground was strewed with broken atoms of timber from the trees , each of which a spark would ignite . Two nights Harry slept in his bed , but on the third he was on horseback about the run , watching , thinking , endeavoring to make provision , directing others , and hoping to make it believed that his eyes were every where . In this way an entire week was passed , and now it wanted but four days to Christmas . He would come home to breakfast about seven in the morning , very tired , but never owning that he was tired , and then sleep heavily for an hour or two in a chair . After that he would go out again on the run , would sleep perhaps for another hour after dinner , and then would start for his night 's patrol . During this week he saw nothing of Medlicot , and never mentioned his name but once . On that occasion his wife told him that during his absence Medlicot had been at the station .