night, about nine o'clock
He wondered : then remembered the Signorina 's fear of riots and disturbances . As again he fumbled with the catches , he felt that the doors of Florence were trying to prevent his egress . However , he got out . It was a very dark night , about nine o'clock , and deserted seeming . He was struck by the strange , deserted feeling of the city 's atmosphere . Yet he noticed before him , at the foot of the statue , three men , one with a torch : a long torch with naked flames . The men were stooping over something dark , the man with the torch bending forward too .