three o'clock
It had landed there and waited a while -- drawn up only part way out of the water -- about three o'clock this morning . Two men had got out ; one waited with the boat , the other went up toward the foot of the steps and mixed his footprints up with all the others . I do n't know what for and ca n't imagine ; but that 's what happened , and presently he turned round and went back to the boat , and the two of them shoved her off again -- trusting , I guess , to the tide to cover up the signs of their landing . `` Why they should want to be secret about it , God only knows ; but if they did n't , why three o'clock ? It 's all private beach along here , and whereas I believe there are no property rights below high-water mark , and anybody has a right to land anywhere in an emergency -- where was the emergency ? There was no gale last night , and if there had been , you 'd think distressed mariners would have sense enough to come ashore farther along , toward the village , where they could find shelter -- and all that . The more I think about it , the funnier it looks to me . ''