three o'clock
It was a very warm day , and the travellers had just the height of it . Hot sunbeams poured down upon them ; the level , shadeless country through which lay their way , showed as little as it could of the attractive features which really belonged to it . The lady declared herself exceeded by the heat and dust ; the gentleman opined they might as well have stayed in Independence , where they were . Between two and three o'clock they entered the long green street of Shampuashuh . The sunbeams seemed tempered there , but it was only a mental effect produced by the quiet beauty and airy space of the village avenue , and the shade of great elms which fell so frequently upon the wayside grass . `` What a sweet place ! '' cried the lady .