About four in the afternoon
The dismayed messenger returned to report to the excited wife and children that the husband and father would do nothing for them . Again and again was a messenger sent , but to no purpose . The Irishman sat and plied his hammer to his rocks in serene quiet . About four in the afternoon a rockaway drove up , stopped a few yards away , and a lady got out , accompanied by a little girl , and approached the man at the rock-pile . They were Mrs. Marsden and Roberta . `` May I ask , '' said the lady hesitatingly , `` if two soldiers dressed in Federal uniform have passed here this morning ; and how long since ? The reason I ask is this , a flying rumor has reached me that two soldiers wearing the Federal uniform were arrested not far from here and carried to headquarters as Confederate spies . ''