four
o'clock
As a result of this precaution , the mystery of the situation became redoubled by one o'clock , and was intensified by two , when it was announced that Private Dawson had attempted to break away out of the hospital after a visit from the same doctor in his professional capacity . People were tempted out on their galleries in the driving storm , and colored servants flitted from kitchen to kitchen to gather or dispense new rumors , but nobody knew what to make of it when , soon after two , an orderly rode in from town dripping with mud and wet , delivered a note to the colonel , and took one from him to Mr. Ferry , now sole representative of the officers of Battery `` X '' present for duty . Ferry in return sent the bedraggled horseman on to the battery quarters with an order to the first sergeant , and in about fifteen minutes a sergeant and two men , mounted and each leading a spare horse , appeared under Ferry 's gallery , and that officer proceeded to occupy one of the vacant saddles , and , followed by his party , went clattering out of the sally-port and splashing over to the levee . Stable-call sounded as usual at four o'clock , and , for the first time in the record of that disciplined organization since the devastating hand of Yellow Jack was laid upon it the previous year , no officer appeared to supervise the grooming and feeding . Two of them were at the post , however . Mr. Doyle , in arrest on charge of absence without leave , was escorted to his quarters about four-fifteen , and was promptly visited by sympathizing and inquisitive comrades from the Hotel Finkbein , while Mr. Ferry , who had effected the arrest , was detained making his report to the post commander . Night came on apace , the wind began to die away with the going down of the sun , the rain ceased to fall , a pallid moon began peering at odd intervals through rifts in the cloudy veil , when Cram rode splashing into barracks , worn with anxiety and care , at eleven o'clock , and , stopping only for a moment to take his wife in his arms and kiss her anxious face and shake his head in response to her eager query for news of Waring , he hurried down-stairs again and over to Doyle 's quarters .