three in the afternoon
He had been known there as a young man in the bloom of health and strength , and his decay was particularly obvious to these people . ` I saw death in his face , ' the landlord said , afterwards . Every one , even her ladyship 's firmness and good sense , gave way before the invalid 's impatience . At three in the afternoon they left the hotel , with four horses , to make the remaining nineteen miles of the way in one stage . They had not been on the road half an hour before the snow began to fall thickly , whitening everything around them , except the lake , which showed a dark leaden surface at the bottom of the slope along the edge of which they were travelling . Too sullen for speech , Lord Maulevrier sat back in his corner , with his sable cloak drawn up to his chin , his travelling cap covering head and ears , his eyes contemplating the whitening world with a weary anger . His wife watched the landscape as long as she could , but the snow soon began to darken all the air , and she could see nothing save that blank blinding fall .