four o'clock
By noon the rain had settled into a dull , steady downpour . The clouds hung low , and seemed to grow denser instead of lighter as they discharged their watery burden , and there was now and then a muttering of distant thunder . Outdoor work was suspended , and I spent most of the day at the house , looking over my accounts and bringing up some arrears of correspondence . Towards four o'clock I went out on the piazza , which was broad and dry , and less gloomy than the interior of the house , and composed myself for a quiet smoke . I had lit my cigar and opened the volume I was reading at that time , when my wife , whom I had left dozing on a lounge , came out and took a rocking-chair near me . `` I wish you would talk to me , or read to me -- or something , '' she exclaimed petulantly . `` It 's awfully dull here today . ''