nine o'clock
But when she did , at last , lay hands on him , it was not in the way she looked for , as she sat rocking up and down , waiting for him to come home again . Mr. Jeminy came slowly out of the post-office , and turned up the road leading to his house . In one hand , crumpled in his pocket , he held his dismissal from Hillsboro school : `` On account of age , '' it said . Next morning , at nine o'clock , the new teacher was coming to take over the little schoolhouse , with its splintered desks , the dusty blackboard , and the colored maps . As he walked , the sun sank in the west , and evening crept up the road after him . The air was damp ; he could see his breath pass out in fog before his face . The wind , blowing above his head , showered down the last dried , yellow leaves upon his path ; before him he saw the chilly sky with its faint , lonely star , and over him the half moon , like a slice ; and he heard the autumn wind , steady and cold .