nine o'clock
It was the royal will to direct each move on the gigantic chessboard ; to hold in the hollow of his hand the hosts who looked to him for guidance . At his left , a flock of swallows , affrighted by the noise of the cannonade , rose high in air , wheeled , and vanished in the south . Between the city and Balan , Henriette got over the ground at a good , round pace . It was not yet nine o'clock ; the broad footpath , bordered by gardens and pretty cottages , was as yet comparatively free , although as she approached the village it began to be more and more obstructed by flying citizens and moving troops . When she saw a great surge of the human tide advancing on her she hugged the walls and house-fronts , and by dint of address and perseverance slipped through , somehow . The fold of black lace that half concealed her fair hair and small , pale face , the sober gown that enveloped her slight form , made her an inconspicuous object among the throng ; she went her way unnoticed by the by-passers , and nothing retarded her light , silent steps . At Balan , however , she found the road blocked by a regiment of infanterie de marine .