ten o'clock
`` Ichabod -- Jabez -- Joab , '' Stanton 's voice persisted , experimentally . By nine o'clock , in all possible variations of accent and intonation , he had quite completely exhausted the alphabetical list as far as `` K. '' and the little dog was blinking himself to sleep on the far side of the room . Something about the dog 's nodding contentment started Stanton 's mouth to yawning and for almost an hour he lay in the lovely , restful consciousness of being at least half asleep . But at ten o'clock he roused up sharply and resumed the task at hand , which seemed suddenly to have assumed really vital importance . `` Laban -- Lorenzo -- Marcellus , '' he began again in a loud , clear , compelling voice . `` Meredith -- '' -LRB- Did the little dog stir ? Did he sit up ? -RRB-