seven o'clock
Now , the day of her intended departure had arrived ; she was to leave Rockhold with her brother that afternoon to take the evening express to New York . And as she could not go without taking leave of her grandfather , it was necessary that she should announce her intention to him before he should start on his daily visit to North End . Therefore Cora had risen very early that morning and had gone down into the little office or library of the Iron King , that was situated at the rear of the middle hall , there to wait for him , as it was his custom to rise early and go into his study , to look over the papers before breakfast . These papers were brought by a special messenger from North End , who started from the depot as soon as the earliest train arrived with the morning 's mail and reached Rockhold by seven o'clock . She had not sat there many minutes before Mr. Rockharrt entered the study . `` I am going away with my brother , '' Cora said , without any preface whatever , `` to Fort Farthermost , on the southwestern Indian frontier . '' `` I think you must be crazy . ''