three o'clock
It was , however , no longer a brook , not even a river , but a torrent . It over spread its banks on either side . Forest trees stood knee-deep in it , their branches swept it . At three o'clock Jerome 's mill was surrounded , though on one side by only a rippling shallow of water . He had plenty of helpers all day ; for if his dam and mill went , there was danger to the Main Street bridge . Now they had all taken advantage of the last firm footing , and left the mill . They had joined a watching group on a rise of ground beyond the flood .