two o'clock precisely
The third unbeliever was Monsieur Le Quoi , who merely whispered to the sheriff , that the corps was one of the finest he had ever seen second only to the Mousquetaires of Le Boa Louis ! However , as Mrs. Hollister thought there was something like actual service in the present appearances , and was , in consequence , too busily engaged with certain preparations of her own , to make her comments ; as Benjamin was absent , and Monsieur Le Quoi too happy to find fault with anything , the corps escaped criticism and comparison altogether on this momentous day , when they certainly had greater need of self-confidence than on any other previous occasion . Marmaduke was said to be again closeted with Mr. Van der School and no interruption was offered to the movements of the troops . At two o'clock precisely the corps shouldered arms , beginning on the right wing , next to the veteran , and carrying the motion through to the left with great regularity . When each musket was quietly fixed in its proper situation , the order was given to wheel to the left , and march . As this was bringing raw troops , at once , to face their enemy , it is not to be supposed that the manoeuver was executed with their usual accuracy ; but as the music struck up the inspiring air of Yankee-doodle , and Richard , accompanied by Mr. Doolittle preceded the troops boldly down the street , Captain Hollister led on , with his head elevated to forty-five degrees , with a little , low cocked hat perched on his crown , carrying a tremendous dragoon sabre at a poise , and trailing at his heels a huge steel scabbard , that had war in its very clattering . There was a good deal of difficulty in getting all the platoons -LRB- there were six -RRB- to look the same way ; but , by the time they reached the defile of the bridge , the troops were in sufficiently compact order .