two o'clock
Below him , near the bridge , smoke was curling upward from the tall chimneys of the tanneries , while farther away a great mill displayed its flour-whitened buildings among the fresh verdure of the growths that lined the waterside . The little town that lay there , bounding his horizon , hidden among the stately trees , appeared to him to possess a gentle charm ; it brought him memories of boyhood , of the journeys that he had made to Vouziers in other days , when he had lived at Chene , the village where he was born . For an hour he was oblivious of the outer world . The soup had long since been made and eaten and everyone was waiting to see what would happen next , when , about half-past two o'clock , the smoldering excitement began to gain strength , and soon pervaded the entire camp . Hurried orders came to abandon the meadows , and the troops ascended a line of hills between two villages , Chestres and Falaise , some two or three miles apart , and took position there . Already the engineers were at work digging rifle-pits and throwing up epaulments ; while over to the left the artillery had occupied the summit of a rounded eminence . The rumor spread that General Bordas had sent in a courier to announce that he had encountered the enemy in force at Grand-Pre and had been compelled to fall back on Buzancy , which gave cause to apprehend that he might soon be cut off from retreat on Vouziers .