about
ten o'clock
He was impressed by the volume of things , and had , unsuspected by himself , the capacity of the bibliophile to detect and enjoy the subtle aroma which emanates from leaves and binding . In harmony , therefore , with the resolute quality which had secured to him what success he had enjoyed in his abandoned business , Dennis decided to exhaust the pleasing possibilities presented by this elevated industry before applying elsewhere . The éclat of possible authorship did not influence him , despite the encouragement afforded him in the surprising efforts of his imagination displayed in achievements such as the following , with which he embellished the front of his father 's establishment : This Suit was $ 50 and cheap at that I 'll let it go for $ 20 and so on indefinitely . Urged , then , by the advantages which lubricate the lines of least resistance , and stimulated by that clarion phrase in his unfailing campaign document , his copy of Beaconsfield : `` I have begun many things many times and have finally succeeded , '' Dennis presented himself , about ten o'clock , at one of the well-known publishing houses . With all the alarm which affects the fair débutante at a court presentation , he beheld the confusing labyrinth of counters , department aisles and shelves , which combine in such a depressing suggestion of intellectual plethora and transient futility in this famous edifice . Advised by his sensations , Dennis was quite ready to assure himself that he had entered at the wrong portal , and , returning to the street , he discovered that the building concluded upon a rearway congested with a disorderly array of drays , cases and porters . Encouraged by the assurance of these more familiar surroundings , Dennis cast an anxious glance about him to discover one more in authority than the others .