nearly one o'clock
That this constant moving from place to place had been the bane of his existence was a theory that Dorothy had formed a year before . Yet , for all she knew , it might have been young Foster Durgin whom her uncle was trying to avoid ! The train connection for Rockdale was wretchedly timed . What with a long wait at the junction and a long delay at a way station farther out , it was nearly one o'clock when at length his destination was reached and Garrison , with his steel-trap suit-case in hand , found his way to a second-rate hotel , where , to his great relief , the beds were far better than they looked . He had taken the precaution to register as Henry Hilborn , realizing that Rockdale doubtless abounded in acquaintances of Hardy 's who would probably read the published story of his will in their own local papers in the morning . He wrote at once to Dorothy , under the name of Miss Root , apprising her of his altered name and his address . In the morning he was early at his work .