nine o'clock
The water came to a stand about midnight , and was falling slowly the next morning . But when morning came it was raining hard , and the rain was evidently not a local but a general one , wherefore , Tom feared that the fall would shortly be changed into a rise , and that the bank would soon be covered . He watched his stake carefully , visiting it every half hour . At nine o'clock the river had fallen three inches , and was about eight inches below the bank . From nine to ten it fell only about half an inch . Between ten and eleven the fall was not more than a quarter of an inch . Between eleven and twelve no fall at all was perceptible .