six o'clock
And you thought to conceal it from me , _ monsieur _ ! '' he continued reproachfully . His good-humour being completely restored by this prospective consummation of the romance , the captain parted from me on the wharf on his way to the telegraph-office , repeating his instructions to the effect that we were to be aboard the boat by nine , as he would not be able to remain later than that hour on account of the tide . It had grown dark long before and , looking at my watch , I was surprised to see that it was already past six o'clock . I had no time to lose in returning to the château . But though I could see it outlined upon the cliff , I soon found myself lost among the maze of narrow streets in which I was wandering . I asked the direction of one or two wayfarers , but these were all men of the labouring class , and their instructions , given in the provincial patois , were quite unintelligible to me .