about
three o'clock in the afternoon
Mrs. Brown was not more than half convinced , but she was compelled to accept this statement , for her husband would vouchsafe no other . That part of the State into which they journeyed was not new ground to either . They were familiar with all the settled portion of Colorado , and had no difficulty in finding the cabin occupied by George Melville . Now it happened that they reached the modest dwelling in the woods about three o'clock in the afternoon . Herbert had ridden over to Deer Creek to look after his mining property , and it was not yet time to expect him back . George Melville was therefore left alone . Knowing , as my young readers do , his literary tastes , they will understand that , though left alone , he was not lonely .