six o'clock
His heart paused when he saw the boat returning in the afternoon without Hicks . The others reported that they had separated before dinner , and that they had not seen him since , though Captain Jenness had spent an hour trying to look him up before starting back to the ship . The captain wore a look of guilty responsibility , mingled with intense exasperation , the two combining in as much haggardness as his cheerful visage could express . `` If he 's here by six o'clock , '' he said , grimly , `` all well and good . If not , the Aroostook sails , any way . '' Lydia crept timidly below . Staniford complexly raged to see that the anxiety about Hicks had blighted the joy of the day for her .