four o'clock
It was characteristic of him that he seldom spoke of the weather when `` passing the time of day '' -- a thing which he never did except to his chosen friends . He spoke almost invariably of the planets or the stars . `` Good morning , the sun 's very low at this time o ' year -- did you see the lunar halo last night ? -- a fine lot o ' shootin ' stars towards four o'clock , look for 'em again to-morrow in the nor ' - west -- you can get your breakfast by moonlight this week -- Old Tabby -LSB- Orion -RSB- looks well to-night -- you 'd better have a look at Sirius afore the moon arises , I never see him so clear as he is now '' -- these were the greetings which Snarley offered `` to them as could understand '' from behind the hedge or within the penfold . But it was not from superficialities of this kind that the depth of his stellar interests was to be measured . I once told him that a great man of old had declared that the stars were gods . `` So they are , but I wonder how he found that out , '' said Snarley ; `` because you ca n't find it out by lookin ' at 'em .