four o'clock in the afternoon
and not a soul in Bleiberg knows me , nor cares . `` I 'd rather talk five minutes to a pretty woman than eat stuffed pheasants the year around , and the stuffed pheasant is about all Bleiberg can boast of . Well , here goes for a voyage of discovery ; '' and he passed down the stone steps to the pier , quite unconscious of the admiring glances of the women who fluttered back and forth on the wide balconies above . It was four o'clock in the afternoon ; a fresh wind redolent of pine and resin blew across the lake . Maurice climbed into a boat and pulled away with a strong , swift stroke , enjoying the liberation of his muscles . A quarter of a mile out he let the oars drift and took his bearings . He saw the private gardens of the king and the archbishop , and , convinced that a closer view would afford him entertainment , he caught up the oars again and moved inland .