eight o'clock
The search of the troopers had been fruitless , too , and at this crisis the opinion of McKnight as a pioneer of Waddy was solicited . McKnight 's belief was that Shine was hiding away somewhere in the old workings of one of the deep mines -- the Silver Stream perhaps -- and he recalled the case of a criminal who got into the old stopes of a mine at Bendigo , and subsisted there for two weeks on the cribs of the miners , stolen while the latter were at work . The detective considered this a very probable supposition , and an invasion of the Silver Stream workings was planned for next morning . SHORTLY after eight o'clock on the night of Dick 's journey to Yarraman the figure of a woman approached the searcher 's house and knocked softly at the front door . There was a light burning within , but the knock provoked no response . The visitor knocked again with more vigour ; presently a bolt was withdrawn and the door opened a few inches , and Christina Shine , seeing her visitor , uttered a low cry and staggered back into the centre of the room , throwing the door wide open . It was Mrs. Hardy who stood upon the threshold .