about five o'clock in the afternoon
But , by Turchi 's explanation , this want of attention was pardoned , and he was even permitted to bid a hasty adieu to Mary and her father . He returned almost immediately , and offering his arm to his uncle , he left Mr. Van de Werve 's house . As he moved on , Simon Turchi glanced at him entreatingly , as if to insist upon secrecy . It was about five o'clock in the afternoon . Julio was seated in one of the rooms of his master 's dwelling , his arms crossed upon his breast . Absorbed in deep thought , he had his eyes fixed on an arm-chair which stood near the only window in the room , and from time to time he shook his head with an expression of anxious doubt . The footsteps of a man in the room above interrupted his reflections ; an ironical smile passed over his features as he muttered : `` He calls me a coward , the dastard that he is !