six o'clock
Now and then , whenever we came to a pleasant place , where a fallen tree , or the step under a cross , offered us a resting-place by the roadside , we sat down , scarcely from weariness , but rather for enjoyment . I had full directions as to our route , and I carried a letter from Rosalie to a cousin of hers , who lived in a convent about twelve miles from Noirean ; where , she assured me , they would take us in gladly for a night , and perhaps send us on part of our way in their conveyance , in the morning . Twelve miles only had to be accomplished this first day , and we could saunter as we chose , making our dinner of the little loaves which we had bought hot from the oven , as we quitted the town , and drinking of the clear little rills , which were gurgling merrily under the brown hedge-rows . If we reached the convent before six o'clock we should find the doors open , and should gain admission . But in the afternoon the sky changed . The low floor of clouds rose gradually , and began to spread themselves , growing grayer and thicker as they crept higher into the sky . The blue became paler and colder .