about twelve o'clock
To be sure the long window aided the deception , and was fitted up solely with goods in the grocery line ; but enter the dark low door-way , and get an odorous whiff from within , and one 's olfactory nerves would soon convince one of the contrary . There was a flavor of everything there ; a blended fragrance compounded of strong cheese , herrings , and candles , with a suspicion of matches and tarred wood , which to the uninitiated was singularly unpalatable , and suggested to them to shake off the dust of Mrs. Watkins as soon as possible . To be sure this was only a trifle . To do her justice , Mrs. Watkins drove a very thriving trade ; the very carters had a partiality for the shop , and would lurch in about twelve o'clock , with their pipes and hob-nailed boots , for a twist of tobacco or a slice of cheese , and crack clumsy jokes across the counter . But , besides this , Mrs. Watkins had another source of profit that was at once lucrative and respectable . She let lodgings . And very genteel lodgings they were , with a private entrance in Beulah Place , and a double door that excluded draughts and the heterogeneous odors from the shop .