three o'clock
Here there was a rough enclosure , or corral , with some tumble-down sheds which afforded shelter , on the night of Joseph Louden 's disgrace , for a number of shaggy teams attached to those decrepit and musty vehicles known picturesquely and accurately as Night-Hawks . The presence of such questionable shapes in the corral indicated that the dance was on at Beaver Beach , Mike 's Place , as surely as the short line of cabs and family carriages on upper Main Street made it known that gayety was the order of the night at the Pike Mansion . But among other differences was this , that at the hour when the guests of the latter were leaving , those seeking the hospitalities of Beaver Beach had just begun to arrive . By three o'clock , however , joy at Mike 's Place had become beyond question unconfined , and the tokens of it were audible for a long distance in all directions . If , however , there is no sound where no ear hears , silence rested upon the country-side until an hour later . Then a lonely figure came shivering from the direction of the town , not by the road , but slinking through the snow upon the frozen river . It came slowly , as though very tired , and cautiously , too , often turning its head to look behind .