ten o'clock
She has gone on ahead , she is at the other end of the bridge by now ! '' Gamelin endeavoured to hold him back by his coat skirts , swearing his business was urgent . But Desmahis had already slipped away between horses , guards , swords and torches , and was in hot pursuit of the milliner 's girl . It was ten o'clock in the forenoon . The April sun bathed the tender leafage of the trees in light . A storm had cleared the air during the night and it was deliciously fresh and sweet . At long intervals a horseman passing along the Allée des Veuves broke the silence and solitude .