nearly eleven
o'clock
Then , inspired by her interest , he grew bolder , and forgetting the task before him altogether , fought life 's battles in the light of her smiles , conquering every difficulty , and winning for himself a place and name among men . And then , as he laid his trophies at her feet , her father , the wealthy merchant , appeared , and Dick walked the floor in a blind rage . But he managed to finish his work at last , and about three o'clock , tumbled on to his cot in the stock room , where he spent the rest of the night trying to rescue Amy from her father , who assumed the shape of a hardware dragon , with gold eyes , and had imprisoned the young lady in a log cabin near the river , beneath a hill upon which grew a pine tree tipped with fire , while a lean hound sat at the water 's edge and howled . Uncle Bobbie Wicks pulled down the top of his desk and heard the lock click with a long sigh of satisfaction , for a glance at his large , old-fashioned hunting-case watch told him that it was nearly eleven o'clock . It was a dismal , dreary , rainy night ; just the sort of a night to make a man thank God that he had a home ; and those who had homes to go to were already there , except a few business men , who like Mr. Wicks , were obliged to be out on work of especial importance . Locking the rear door of the office and getting hastily into his rain coat , the old gentleman took his hat and umbrella from the rack and stepped out into the storm . As he was trudging along through the wet , his mind still on business , a gleam of light from the window of Udell 's printing office caught his eye .