six
o'clock
It was an unheard-of thing that the President of Lincoln College , the pastor of the First Church , the Dean of the Cathedral , the professional men living in fine houses on the boulevard , should come personally into the wards , and by their presence and their example represent the Christian conscience of the place . The ward politicians were astonished at the sight . However , their astonishment did not prevent their activity . The fight grew hotter every hour , and when six o'clock came neither side could have guessed at the result with any certainty . Every one agreed that never before had there been such an election in Raymond , and both sides awaited the announcement of the result with the greatest interest . It was after ten o'clock when the meeting at the tent was closed . It had been a strange and , in some respects , a remarkable meeting .