nearly eight o'clock
Now , however , his condition told its own tale . To all appearances , he was dying , and we were all powerless to help him . Of course dinner , as far as I was concerned , was out of the question , although , as I was afterwards informed , Captain Springfield made an excellent meal . It was nearly eight o'clock when the doctor arrived , and never surely was a man greeted with more eagerness than I greeted him . For , as I have already said , I had grown to love Edgecumbe with a great love ; why it was , I will not pretend to explain , but no man ever loved a brother more than I loved him , and the thought of his death was simply horrible . Perhaps the suddenness of everything accounted for my intense feeling ; anyhow , my intense anguish can not be explained in any other way . Dr. Merril did not inspire me with any great hope .