nine o'clock
As they left the house , and poor Hogan , looking over the banisters up-stairs , broke into an Irish wail of grief , and the corporal of the guard instinctively brought his left hand up to the shoulder in a salute that made his musket ring , a casual observer would have said that Mr. Ray was showing his visitors to their carriage . The door shut with a snap , the horses started with a crack of the whip , and in another moment the silent quartette were whirled away through the east gate before anybody `` up the row '' was fully aware of what was going on . Meantime , there had been a night of misery elsewhere in the garrison . Mrs. Stannard had asked permission of the officer of the day to go to Ray with the doctor at nine o'clock ; the officer of the day said he would go and see the colonel and let her know . He went , but did not return . At ten o'clock Mrs. Stannard wrote a note to the colonel , and that punctilious soldier replied through his adjutant at half-past ten . He was very sorry , but for several reasons he was compelled to refuse all applications to see Mr. Ray until the morrow .