eight o'clock
It was a dreary prospect . `` However , as I say , the snow ceased to fall , and towards night the sky overhead began to clear , until presently the moon shone out and lit up the wintry scene . But for this light we might have lost our way hopelessly , for the road lay over a heath , which being all covered in snow , we had only the wayside posts to direct us and keep us on the beaten track . `` It must have been near eight o'clock , sixteen hours since I had left the assembly at Ogilby , when I caught sight in the moonlight of a small cottage a little way removed from the road on our right . The sight of this , the first habitation we had passed for hours , was welcome indeed . I could scarcely stand with hunger , fatigue , and cold , and my brave horse was stumbling at every step . Our only chance of reaching Culverton that night was in seeking such rest and refreshment as this place might afford , and I therefore gladly turned aside and led my weary steed along the by-path that led up to it .