eight
o'clock
It was not until well on in the next day that the two men spoke of Brenton . Indeed , all their talk , next morning , was plainest platitude . Instinctively each of them realized that the other needed a little time to rally from the strain of the night before . Accordingly , though eight o'clock found them breakfasting together in Opdyke 's room , Ramsdell , in attendance on his patient 's numerous needs of help , acknowledged to himself that he never saw a patient and a priest act like such a pair of schoolboys squabbling over jam . Afterwards , Ramsdell dismissed and sent off on an errand , Whittenden smoked , and Opdyke lay and watched him in a contented reverie too deep for words . As he had said to Brenton , once on a time , it was a relief to get even a bad matter out and over . Later , he was quite well aware , he would take up the subject with his friend once more ; but the week was nearly all before them .