nearly five o'clock in the afternoon
The heouse is jammed full o ' folks , and there ai n't nothin , ready . You jes ' wait here , till I git things in shape and I 'll cum arter ye '' . Micah then departed to complete his arrangements , and Mr. Norton returned to his post , in the sick-room . It was nearly five o'clock in the afternoon , before a messenger came to inform him that the hour of burial had arrived . A strange scene presented itself to his view , as he approached the grove . A motley company , composed of the settlers of every grade and condition for miles around , had collected there . Men , women , and children in various costume -- the scarlet and crimson shirt , or tunic , carrying it high above all other fashions -- were standing , or walking among the trees , conversing upon the event that had brought them together .