three o'clock in the afternoon
I say it : We have suffered and fought for you . Son of the disinherited and despairing , you shall be a free man ! '' He ended , and restoring the child to its mother , smiled upon his listeners of the fair sex , who were lost in admiration of his eloquence , his red sash , his gold lace and his green old age . Albeit it was three o'clock in the afternoon , he had not drunk more than he could carry , and he trod the sandy walks with a mien of masterful assurance amid the plaudits of the people . Jean advanced to meet him ; he had a soft place in his heart for the old man . Monsieur Tudesco grasped his hand with a fatherly affection and declaimed : `` I am overjoyed to see my dear disciple , the child of my intellect . Monsieur Servien , look yonder and never forget the sight ; it is the spectacle of a free people . ''