two in the afternoon
Nevertheless , Eastthorpe had really had a history . It had known victory and defeat , love , hatred , intrigue , hope , despair , and all the passions , just as Elizabeth , King Charles , Cromwell , and Queen Anne knew them , but they were not recorded . It was a bright , hot , August Saturday , as we have said , and it was market day . Furthermore , it was half-past two in the afternoon , and the guests at Mr. Furze 's had just finished their dinner . Mr. Furze was the largest ironmonger in Eastthorpe , and sold not only ironmongery , but ploughs and all kinds of agricultural implements . At the back of the shop was a small foundry where all the foundry work for miles round Eastthorpe was done . It was Mr. Furze 's practice always to keep a kind of open house on Saturday , and on this particular day , at half-past two , Mr. Bellamy , Mr. Chandler , Mr. Gosford , and Mr. Furze were drinking their whiskey-and-water and smoking their pipes in Mr. Furze 's parlour .