nine o'clock in the morning
He gained physically by this new interest , which made him more active and hardy , and his character improved at the same time . The melancholy which had been so distressing to him decreased , and he became more cheerful , his self-confidence increased , as he had more intercourse with people , whilst the fits of anger , rage and despair which used to come over him without any cause , making him seem like an epileptic to the servants , grew rarer and rarer until they left him altogether . He thus reached his twenty-eighth year when he began to frequent the house of the Quiñones , and it was then that his life underwent a complete change . It was nine o'clock in the morning when his servant woke him from an exciting unfinished dream to give him a letter . With feigned indifference he dropped it on the night-table , but scarcely had the servant left the room when he seized it , and opened it with visible agitation . Although his connection with Amalia was of about two years ' standing , he never opened a letter from her without his hands trembling . They certainly did not often write to each other ; and it was probably the rarity of the occurrence which accounted for its affecting him so much , as in truth a deep love for her had taken root in his timid , sensitive nature .