Half after eight
`` What time is it now ? '' she asked , abruptly . He looked at his watch . `` Half after eight . '' `` If father is n't on this side of the divide now he wo n't try to cross . If he 's coming down the slope he 'll be here in an hour , although that trail is a tolerably tough proposition this minute . A patch of dead timber on a dark night is sure a nuisance , even to a good man .