two o'clock
Citizens had fled to their homes , unmolested . The streets were empty , save for the armed minions of the Iron Count . They rushed hither and thither in violent detachments , seeking out the men in uniform , yelling and shooting like unmanageable savages . Before two o'clock the city itself was in the hands of the hated enemy of the Crown . He and his aliens , malefactors and all , were in complete control of the fortress , the gates and approaches , the Tower and the bloody streets . A thousand of them , -- eager , yelling ruffians , -- marched to within firing distance of the Castle walls and held every approach against reinforcements . Except for the failure to destroy the Prince and his counsellors , the daring , unspeakable plans of Count Marlanx had been attended by the most horrifying results .