They had come to fire the house, their visit expected because they had been before. On that occasion they had come later, in the early morning, just after one. The sheepdogs had seen them off, but within a week the dogs lay poisoned in the yard and Captain Gault knew that the intruders would be back.
I think when we say "in the early morning" we mean for example 4 AM
In this context, is the meaning of "early morning" the start of the other day, which starts after 12 o'clock?
Source: The Story of Lucy Gault by William Trevor