twelve o'clock
He inclined his head to show that we were dismissed , and turned round to Berthier . I do not know what he said , but I heard them both laughing . Well , as you may think , we lost little time in getting upon our way . In half an hour we were riding down the High Street of Rheims , and it struck twelve o'clock as we passed the Cathedral . I had my little grey mare , Violette , the one which Sebastiani had wished to buy after Dresden . It is the fastest horse in the six brigades of light cavalry , and was only beaten by the Duke of Rovigo 's racer from England . As to Charpentier , he had the kind of horse which a horse grenadier or a cuirassier would be likely to ride : a back like a bedstead , you understand , and legs like the posts .