about
one o'clock
There was nothing against his character that anybody knew of here , and he had been a considerable time in the place . The last service he was in was with a Mr. Anderson , of Eltrive -LRB- Ault-Righ , the King 's Burn -RRB- , who died about 100 years ago , and who had hired him during the summer to herd a stock of young cattle in Eltrive Hope . It happened one day in the month of September that James Anderson , his master 's son , went with this young man to the Hope to divert himself . The herd had his dinner along with him , and about one o'clock , when the boy proposed going home , the former pressed him very hard to stay and take share of his dinner ; but the boy refused for fear his parents might be alarmed about him , and said he would go home : on which the herd said to him , ` Then , if ye winna stay with me , James , ye may depend o n't I 'll cut my throat afore ye come back again . ' `` I have heard it likewise reported , but only by one person , that there had been some things stolen out of his master 's house a good while before , and that the boy had discovered a silver knife and fork that was a part of the stolen property , in the herd 's possession that day , and that it was this discovery that drove him to despair . `` The boy did not return to the Hope that afternoon ; and , before evening , a man coming in at the pass called The Hart Loup , with a drove of lambs , on the way for Edinburgh , perceived something like a man standing in a strange frightful position at the side of one of Eldinhope hay-ricks . The driver 's attention was riveted on this strange uncouth figure , and , as the drove-road passed at no great distance from the spot , he first called , but , receiving no answer , he went up to the spot , and behold it was the above-mentioned young man , who had hung himself in the hay rope that was tying down the rick .