three o'clock
The colour of the sunlight was caught in the cups and runnels of the stiff frozen roads and a horse 's hoofs echoed , sharp and ringing , over fields and hedges . The ponds were silvered into a sheet of ice , so thin that the water showed dark beneath it . All the trees were rimmed with hoar-frost . On Christmas afternoon , when three o'clock had just struck from the church tower , Hugh and Mr. Pidgen met , as though by some conspirator 's agreement , by the garden gate . They had said nothing to one another and yet there they were ; they both glanced anxiously back at the house and then Mr. Pidgen said : `` Suppose we take a walk . '' `` Thank you very much , '' said Hugh . `` Tea is n't till half-past four . ''