nine o'clock
Then he left the yard , and walked down a lane leading towards the river . In this unfrequented lane he tore open the envelope , and read his letter . It was very brief : '' _ Since my only chance of escaping persecution is to accede , in some measure , to your demands , I will consent to see you . If you will wait for me to-night , at nine o'clock , by the water-side , to the left of the bridge , I will try to come to that spot at that hour . Heaven grant the meeting may be our last _ ! '' Exactly as the village church clock struck nine , a dark figure crossed a low , flat meadow , lying near the water , and appeared upon the narrow towing-path by the river 's edge . A man was walking on this pathway , his face half hidden by a slouched hat , and a short pipe in his month .