half past eleven
The tenor of the impending slaughter pervaded the house . Even those who were confident of being spared and kept on till the job was finished shared the general depression , not only out of sympathy for the doomed , but because they knew that a similar fate awaited themselves a little later on . They all waited anxiously for Nimrod to come , but hour after hour dragged slowly by and he did not arrive . At half past eleven some of those who had made up their minds that they were to be ` stood still ' began to hope that the slaughter was to be deferred for a few days : after all , there was plenty of work still to be done : even if all hands were kept on , the job could scarcely be finished in another week . Anyhow , it would not be very long now before they would know one way or the other . If he did not come before twelve , it was all right : all the hands were paid by the hour and were therefore entitled to an hour 's notice . Easton and Harlow were working together on the staircase , finishing the doors and other woodwork with white enamel .