ten o’clock
They could not get over their surprise at discovering such heroes as Rougon , Granoux , and Roudier in their midst . At last , half stifled by the stuffy atmosphere , and tired of ever telling each other the same things , they decided to go off and spread the momentous news abroad . They glided away one by one , each anxious to have the glory of being the first to know and relate everything , and Felicite , as she leaned out of the window , on being left alone , saw them dispersing in the Rue de la Banne , waving their arms in an excited manner , eager as they were to diffuse emotion to the four corners of the town . It was ten o'clock , and Plassans , now wide awake , was running about the streets , wildly excited by the reports which were circulating . Those who had seen or heard the insurrectionary forces , related the most foolish stories , contradicting each other , and indulging in the wildest suppositions . The majority , however , knew nothing at all about the matter ; they lived at the further end of the town , and listened with gaping mouths , like children to a nursery tale , to the stories of how several thousand bandits had invaded the streets during the night and vanished before daybreak like an army of phantoms . A few of the most sceptical said : `` Nonsense ! ''