one o'clock
At ten o'clock that evening , Ugo rose from his easy-chair , stretched himself , and whistled for Pica as usual . The orderly brought him his boots , his cloak , his sabre , and his cap , all of which he put on , as he always did , before going downstairs , for it was the hour at which he invariably inspected the neighbourhood . It was his practice to begin by walking round the outside of the enclosure , his man carrying a good lantern ; he then examined the interior of the space , and finally visited the guard-room and exchanged a word with the officer on duty for the night . Of late , he had occasionally gone out again between twelve and one o'clock , before going to bed ; for two or three suspicious-looking characters had been seen in the neighbourhood of the magazine , like the man in the battered brown hat who had come upon Pica one afternoon and had asked his way . There was , in fact , a disquieting suspicion at headquarters that an attempt might be made to blow up one of the magazines ; the detachments of soldiers on duty had therefore been strengthened and the officers in charge had been instructed to exercise the greatest vigilance . When Captain Ugo went out of his door as usual , with Pica at his heels , the night was dark and it was just beginning to rain . The two went directly from the little house to the gate of the enclosure , and Ugo answered the sentry 's challenge mechanically and walked briskly along the straight wall to the corner .