four o'clock in the morning
Mrs. Lupex was a woman of talent , whom no one seemed to understand , and , therefore , he had taken some pleasure in studying her character . It was merely a study of character , and nothing more . Then the friends parted , and Eames was carried away by the night mail-train down to Guestwick . How his mother was up to receive him at four o'clock in the morning , how her maternal heart was rejoicing at seeing the improvement in his gait , and the manliness of appearance imparted to him by his whiskers , I need not describe at length . Many of the attributes of a hobbledehoy had fallen from him , and even Lily Dale might now probably acknowledge that he was no longer a boy . All which might be regarded as good , if only in putting off childish things he had taken up things which were better than childish . On the very first day of his arrival he made his way over to Allington .