one o'clock
-LRB- Mr. Perkins never came closer than this to a criticism of the longshoreman . -RRB- `` Well , he ca n't understand , because , you see , the poor chap never had the right thing done for him . -- Yes , we 'll go right ahead . '' However , as Johnnie continued to feel nervous on the score of what his foster father might do to this good friend if the latter was again discovered at the flat , the scoutmaster , for Johnnie 's sake , and to make the boy 's mind more easy , agreed to change the time of his call to a little after one o'clock of each afternoon , it being decided that this hour was the safest . Johnnie had wanted to say something about the ring , and the engagement -- something to the effect that he was happy over the news , only Mr. Perkins was taking his -LRB- Johnnie 's -RRB- job away from him , since he had planned , when he grew up , -- yes , and even before -- to take care of Cis himself . But for some reason he did not find it easy to broach the subject ; and since the scoutmaster did not begin it -LRB- he looked ruddier and browner than ever before , Johnnie thought -RRB- , the upshot of it was that the engagement did not get discussed at all . Instead , the Handbook took up the whole of the hour .