seven o'clock
And a mutterin ' to hisself like no ordinary creetur , and a walkin ' through the woods and fields as if he seed nothin ' but what other folks could n't see at all ! '' `` Ah , now ! To think of it ! And Bill is a goin ' down the river to find his body ; for him and Walter Hitchcock have searched the whole place since seven o'clock this mornin ' ! '' `` May be there 's a murder in it , '' said a young woman , cheerfully . `` He were an old man to wander off alone , and there 's allays evil-doers round about for the unprotected . '' The boys listened to these and similar conjectures with frightened eyes ; then Dudley whispered , `` I believe he is in his cave , Roy ; we 'll go and look for him .