four o'clock
Then we rode around to the Postern and entered the courtyard of the castle . Crossing the courtyard , we passed out through the great gate at the keep , and soon stood demanding admission to the lists . The course was laid off north and south , the sun being in the southwest . The hour of battle was fixed at four o'clock , and the combat was to continue till sundown , if neither champion fell before that time . The pavilion for the duke and the other spectators was built at the west side of the false lists -- a strip of ground ten feet wide , extending entirely around the true lists , but separated from it by a barrier or railing three feet high . It was an hour after we left Castleman 's house before Max and I entered the false lists . As I expected , the princess was sitting in the pavilion with her father and Duchess Margaret .