nine o'clock
After having arranged the fire so that it could safely be left burning , he took a last look around the room , and went out into the moonlight , locking the door behind him , and hanging the key on a nail in the wall , where his wife would be likely to look for it . He then secured his valise from behind the bushes , and left the yard . As he passed by the wood-pile , he said to himself : -- `` Well , I declar ' ef I ai n't done fergot ter tote in dat lighterd ; I reckon de ole ` oman 'll ha ' ter fetch it in herse ' f dis time . '' He hastened through the quiet streets , avoiding the few people who were abroad at that hour , and soon reached the railroad station , from which a North-bound train left at nine o'clock . He went around to the dark side of the train , and climbed into a second-class car , where he shrank into the darkest corner and turned his face away from the dim light of the single dirty lamp . There were no passengers in the car except one or two sleepy negroes , who had got on at some other station , and a white man who had gone into the car to smoke , accompanied by a gigantic bloodhound . Finally the train crept out of the station .