ten o'clock
patter-roller ketch you ; Run , nigger , run ! hit 's almos ' day ! He was well acquainted with the surroundings at the Denham Plantation , having been fed many a time by the well-cared-for negroes ; and he had no hesitation in approaching the premises . The clouds had whirled themselves away , and the stars told him it was ten o'clock . There was a light in the sitting-room , and Blue Dave judged it best to go to the back door . He rapped gently , and then a little louder . Ordinarily the door would have been opened by the trim black housemaid ; but to-night it was opened by George Denham 's mother , a prim old lady of whom everybody stood greatly in awe without precisely knowing why .