ten o'clock
He told his orderly that a brother officer of his might have to spend a night in the house before long , which was strictly true . In due time a soldier on a bicycle brought him an official note from the Minister , informing him that Giovanni had reached Naples and would appear at Monteverde on the following morning . This note came late in the afternoon , and Ugo thought it needless to inform Pica , as Giovanni would certainly not wish to go to bed as soon as he arrived , so that the little bedstead need not be set up till he actually came . 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 .