one o'clock before
Not that he would stir half the breadth of one wheat corn , even for the sake of his daily bread , from the straight and strict line of integrity . He had made up his mind about that long ago , not only from natural virtue , strong and dominant as that was , but also by dwelling on his high repute , and the solid foundations of character . He scarcely knew anybody , when he came to think of it , capable of taking such a lofty course ; but that simply confirmed him in his stern resolve to do what was right and expedient . It was quite one o'clock before Jack o ' the Smithies rang the bell to see about his lease . He ought to have done it two hours sooner , if he meant to become a humble tenant ; and the lawyer , although he had plenty to do of other people 's business , looked upon this as a very bad sign . Then he read his letter of instructions once more , and could not but admire the nice brevity of these , and the skillful style of hinting much and declaring very little . For after giving full particulars about the farm , and the rent , and the covenants required , Mistress Yordas proceeded thus : `` The new tenant is the son of a former occupant , who proved to be a remarkably honest man , in a case of strong temptation .