About ten o'clock
He was not writing . He had come up there early because he wished to think , to consider . A proposition had been made to him that afternoon , a surprising proposition -- to him it had come as a complete surprise -- and before mentioning it even to his grandparents he wished to think it over very carefully . About ten o'clock his grandfather called to him from the foot of the stairs and asked him to come down . `` Mr. Kendall 's on the phone , '' said Captain Zelotes . `` He 's worried about Helen . She 's up to West Harniss sittin ' up along of Lurany Howes , who 's been sick so long .