six o'clock
But he said we had better wait for a barge , and that there would be one on Thursday . `` Or if you do n't think you can be ready by then , we can wait for the next , '' he added . He seemed quite willing to wait , but -LRB- remembering that the captain 's preparations for his longest voyage had only taken him eighteen and a half minutes by the chronometer , which was afterwards damaged in the diving-bell accident , and which I had seen with my own eyes , in confirmation of the story -RRB- I said I should be ready any time at half-an-hour 's notice , and Thursday was fixed as the day of our departure . To facilitate matters it was decided that Fred should invite me to spend Wednesday with him , and to stay all night , for the barge was to start at half-past six o'clock on Thursday morning . I was very busy on Wednesday . I wrote a letter to my mother in which I hoped I made it quite clear that ambition and not discontent was leading me to run away . I also made a will , dividing my things fairly between Rupert , Henrietta , and Baby Cecil , in case I should be drowned at sea .