six o'clock
For the next week conversation was more strictly centred on Rosalind than ever , and the gloomy expression deepened on Peggy 's face . She was , in truth , working too hard for her strength , for , as each day passed , the necessity of hurrying on with the calendar became more apparent ; and as Robert was no longer master of his own time , she was obliged to come to his aid in writing out the selected quotations . At every spare moment of the day she was locked in her room , scribbling away for dear life or searching for appropriate extracts , and , as a consequence , her brain refused to rest when she wished it to do so . She tossed wakefully on her pillow , and was often most inclined for sleep when six o'clock struck , and she dragged herself up , a white-cheeked , weary little mortal , to sit blinking over the fire , wishing feebly that it was time to go to bed again , instead of getting up to face the long , long day . Robert was not more observant than most boys of his age , and Peggy would have worked herself to death before she had complained to him . She was proud to feel that he depended on her more than ever , that without her help he could not possibly have finished his task , while his words of gratitude helped to comfort a heart which was feeling sore and empty . In truth , these last few weeks had been harder for Peggy than those immediately following her mother 's departure .