three o’clock in the afternoon
Finally , if , as one may suppose after different diagnoses , this person had the slightest desire to play the role of Tyrcis or Amintas , his white hand , as carefully cared for as a pretty woman 's , would have been sufficient to betray him . It was evident that the man was above his costume ; a rare thing ! The lion 's ears pierced the ass 's skin this time . It was three o'clock in the afternoon ; the sky , which had been overcast all the morning , had assumed , within a few moments , a more sombre aspect ; large clouds were rapidly moving from south to north , rolled one over another by an ominous wind . So the traveller , who had just entered the wildest part of the valley , seemed very little disposed to admire its fine vegetation and romantic sites . Impatient to reach the end of his journey , or fearing the approaching storm , he quickened his steps ; but this pace was not kept long . At the end of a few moments , having crossed a small clearing , he found himself at the entrance of a lawn where the road divided in two directions , one continuing to skirt the river banks , the other , broader and better built , turning to the left into a winding ravine .