two o'clock in the
afternoon
He felt as though he should now be called upon to give up the Skylark to her rightful owner . `` I 'm glad to see you , Captain Chinks , '' exclaimed he ; but what he said was rather complimentary than strictly true -- a society fib . `` Wo n't you come below , and take some dinner with us ? '' The captain had been to dinner , for it was now two o'clock in the afternoon , and he began to ask about the Skylark . Little Bobtail was not particularly glad to see Captain Chinks when he boarded the Skylark , at her anchorage on the fishing-grounds . It seemed as though the captain had taken a great deal of trouble to come down several miles from the village , probably hiring Prince to put him alongside the yacht . Yet he could not help thinking that the slight uneasiness which disturbed him was very absurd .