two o'clock
For instead of retiring quietly to bed , as had been his habit for years at that hour , he locked his door , and then unlocked a desk of private papers , and emptied certain pigeon-holes of their contents , and for an hour or two sat unfolding and looking over old letters and papers ; and when all this was done , he pushed them from him , and sat for a long time buried in thoughts which went down very , very deep into that dark and mossy well of which we have spoken . Then he took a pen and wrote a letter , and addressed it to a direction for which he had searched through many piles of paper , and having done so , seemed to ponder , uncertainly , whether to send it or not . The Harpswell post-office was kept in Mr. Silas Perrit 's store , and the letters were every one of them carefully and curiously investigated by all the gossips of the village , and as this was addressed to St. Augustine in Florida , he foresaw that before Sunday the news would be in every mouth in the parish that the minister had written to so and so in Florida , `` and what do you s ` pose it 's about ? '' `` No , no , '' he said to himself , `` that will never do ; but at all events there is no hurry , '' and he put back the papers in order , put the letter with them , and locking his desk , looked at his watch and found it to be two o'clock , and so he went to bed to think the matter over . Now , there may be some reader so simple as to feel a portion of Miss Emily 's curiosity . But , my friend , restrain it , for Mr. Sewell will certainly , as we foresee , become less rather than more communicative on this subject , as he thinks upon it . Nevertheless , whatever it be that he knows or suspects , it is something which leads him to contemplate with more than usual interest this little mortal waif that has so strangely come ashore in his parish .