about four in the morning
And it had to be done , for the tide and the current were taking us up to Lundy , where half-tide rocks would soon cook our goose , as the saying is . And as he grew absorbed in the tale the author observed out of the corner of his eye that the Head Examiner 's pen paused and then was gently laid down , a new expression of alertness , as though about to deliver judgment , came over the finely cut features . And presently , as it was explained how an iron collar was made and clamped about the broken pipe , and long bolts made to pass into the solid flanges of the valve below , to haul the pipe into its socket and hold it there by main force until we could get in , the Head Examiner turned in his chair , and nodded as he touched his beard lightly with one finger . It was about four in the morning when the job was finished , the author recalled , and he came up on to the wet deck , with low clouds flying past and Lundy an ominous shadow behind , while the dawn lifted beyond the Welsh Mountains and the jolly , homely lights of Swansea shone clear ahead . And as he paused and remarked that the repair proved to be effective , he saw something else in the face of the man watching him , something not seen before , something not very easy to describe . But it may be said to have marked another step in his career . Call it character , and the perception of it .