eight o’clock
he said . ` What is `` seems '' , compared to that ? ' It was settled at once . He maintained all his delightful qualities to the last , until we started forth , at eight o'clock , for Mr. Peggotty 's boat . Indeed , they were more and more brightly exhibited as the hours went on ; for I thought even then , and I have no doubt now , that the consciousness of success in his determination to please , inspired him with a new delicacy of perception , and made it , subtle as it was , more easy to him . If anyone had told me , then , that all this was a brilliant game , played for the excitement of the moment , for the employment of high spirits , in the thoughtless love of superiority , in a mere wasteful careless course of winning what was worthless to him , and next minute thrown away -- I say , if anyone had told me such a lie that night , I wonder in what manner of receiving it my indignation would have found a vent ! Probably only in an increase , had that been possible , of the romantic feelings of fidelity and friendship with which I walked beside him , over the dark wintry sands towards the old boat ; the wind sighing around us even more mournfully , than it had sighed and moaned upon the night when I first darkened Mr. Peggotty 's door .