twelve o'clock
As far as the eye could reach there stood those ghost-like skeletons of trees in all spots where the soil had not been turned up ; but on none of them was there a leaf left , or even a branch . Everywhere the ground was thrown about in hideous uncovered hillocks , all of which seemed to have been deserted except those in the immediate neighbourhood of Mr. Crinkett 's house . But close around him one could see wheels turning and long ropes moving , and water running in little wooden conduits , all of which were signs of the activity going on under ground . And then there was the never-ceasing thud , thud , thud of the crushing-mill , which from twelve o'clock on Sunday night to twelve o'clock on Saturday night , never paused for a moment , having the effect , on that vacant day , of creating a painful strain of silence upon the ears of those who were compelled to remain on the spot during the unoccupied time . It was said that in Mr. Crinkett 's mansion every sleeper would wake from his sleep as soon as the engine was stopped , disturbed by the unwonted quiescence . But the house which had been built in this unpromising spot was quite entitled to be called a mansion . It was of red brick , three storeys high , with white stone facings to all the windows and all the corners , which glittered uncomfortably in the hot sun .