ten o'clock
Paul and Hermione came behind , talking a little as they walked . They reached the bridge on foot , and , paying the toll to the big men in white who guard the entrance , began to cross the long stretch of planks which unites Stamboul with Pera . The sun was already low . Indeed , Marchetto had kept his shop open beyond the ordinary hour of closing , which is ten o'clock by Turkish time , two hours before sunset , and the bazaar was nearly deserted when they left it . Paul and Hermione stopped when they were halfway across the bridge , and looked up the Golden Horn . Great clouds were piled up in the west , behind which the sun was hidden , and the air was very sultry . A dull light , that seemed to cast no shadows , was on all the mosques and minarets , and down upon the water the air was thick , and the boats looked indistinct as they glided by .