nearly ten
o’clock
Fanchette and I went first , tottering in a most natural fashion under the weight of our burdens , while M. d'Agen followed a hundred yards behind . I had given Maignan orders to make a dash for the gate the moment he saw the last named start to run . The perfect stillness of the valley , the clearness of the air , and the absence of any sign of life in the castle before us -- which might have been that of the Sleeping Princess , so fairy-like it looked against the sky -- with the suspense and excitement in our own breasts , which these peculiarities seemed to increase a hundred-fold , made the time that followed one of the strangest in my experience . It was nearly ten o'clock , and the warm sunshine flooding everything about us rendered the ascent , laden as we were , laborious in the extreme . The crisp , short turf , which had scarcely got its spring growth , was slippery and treacherous . We dared not hasten , for we knew not what eyes were upon us , and we dared as little after we had gone half-way -- lay our faggots down , lest the action should disclose too much of our features . When we had reached a point within a hundred paces of the gate , which still remained obstinately closed , we stood to breathe ourselves , and balancing my bundle on my head , I turned to make sure that all was right behind us .