six o’clock
If one of us happened to lose his head , and felt impelled to hasten the advent of happiness by violence in such troublous times , when so many burning problems claimed solution , ought he to be deprived of his life in the name of justice , when none could swear that they had not in some measure contributed to his madness ? Following up this question , Salvat 's counsel dwelt at length on the period that witnessed the crime , a period of so many scandals and collapses , when the old world was giving birth to a new one amidst the most terrible struggles and pangs . And he concluded by begging the jury to show themselves humane , to resist all passion and terror , and to pacify the rival classes by a wise verdict , instead of prolonging social warfare by giving the starvelings yet another martyr to avenge . It was past six o'clock when M. de Larombiere began to sum up in a partial and flowery fashion , in which one detected how grieved and angry he was at having such a shrill little voice . Then the judges and the jurors withdrew , and the prisoner was led away , leaving the spectators waiting amidst an uproar of feverish impatience . Some more ladies had fainted , and it had even been necessary to carry out a gentleman who had been overcome by the cruel heat . However , the others stubbornly remained there , not one of them quitting his place .