half after twelve
They thereupon placed themselves in a semicircle by the newly stirred earth , and roused the dull air with the well-known Number Sixteen of their collection , which Lot gave out as being the one he thought best suited to the occasion and the mood He comes ' the pri ' - soners to ' re-lease ' , In Sa ' - tan 's bon ' - dage held ' . ` Jown it -- we 've never played to a dead man afore , ' said Ezra Cattstock , when , having concluded the last verse , they stood reflecting for a breath or two . ` But it do seem more merciful than to go away and leave en , as they t ` other fellers have done . ' ` Now backalong to Newton , and by the time we get overright the pa ` son 's ` twill be half after twelve , ' said the leader . They had not , however , done more than gather up their instruments when the wind brought to their notice the noise of a vehicle rapidly driven up the same lane from Sidlinch which the gravediggers had lately retraced . To avoid being run over when moving on , they waited till the benighted traveller , whoever he might be , should pass them where they stood in the wider area of the Cross . In half a minute the light of the lanterns fell upon a hired fly , drawn by a steaming and jaded horse .