seven o'clock
Very well ! then I shall leave you to your fate . Adieu ! '' It was seven o'clock , and he had delayed his departure too long . So long as the houses were there to afford him shelter he took advantage of every doorway , of every bit of projecting wall , shrinking at every volley into cavities that were ridiculously small in comparison with his bulk . He turned and twisted in and out with the sinuous dexterity of the serpent ; he would never have supposed that there was so much of his youthful agility left in him . When he reached the end of the village , however , and had to make his way for a space of some three hundred yards along the deserted , empty road , swept by the batteries on Liry hill , although the perspiration was streaming from his face and body , he shivered and his teeth chattered .