one o'clock
The apology in her glance had been unmistakable . He was altogether at a loss to understand in what way he could have excited Miss Blythe 's anger , but it was unpleasant to know that there was an enemy in the camp which he had always thought entirely friendly . With the exception of Ruth herself he had been sure of the approval of everybody concerned . His performance at the homely one o'clock dinner spread at his mother 's table was so poor as to be noticeable , and he had to endure and answer many tender but unnecessary inquiries as to the state of his health , and to pretend to listen while his mother related the melancholy history of a young man who fell into a decline and died through mere neglect of meal-times . When this narrative was over and done with he escaped to his own room , carrying writing materials with him , and sat down to express on paper the hopes he had fully meant to express vocally an hour earlier . The golden rule for writing is to know precisely what you want to say , but though Reuben seemed to know , he found it hard to get upon paper . Half a score of torn sheets went into the fire-grate , and were there carefully fired and reduced to ashes .