three
o'clock
Then a wild and daring thought came and shook at the very doors of his heart . What if he climbed over the gate and got down , and , finding his top , brought it up so quickly that no one would ever know ? His mother and aunt were gone out for a walk ; his great-grandmother and the nurse were nodding one on each side of the fire . It was only three o'clock , and yet they had dined , and they were never known to rouse themselves up for at least half an hour at that time of day . He took one turn along the gallery again , peeped in at the parlour window , then in a great hurry he yielded to the temptation , climbed over the wooden gate , got down the rotten old steps , and in two minutes was up to his neck in a mass of tangled blossoms . Then he began to feel that passion of deep delight which is born of adventure and curiosity . He quite forgot his top : indeed , there was no chance of finding it .