six o'clock
Once arrived , they waste no time . The rolls of wool are piled high in the corners of the rooms , and it is the ambition of each one to spin all she can before dark . At ten o'clock cakes and lemonade are served ; at twelve , the dinner , -- thick soup , roast meat , vegetables , coffee and tea , and a pudding . All are seated at a long table , and the hostesses serve ; at six o'clock comes supper , and then the day 's work is done ; after that a little chat or a ramble over the farm , and at eight o'clock all are off for home . No young men , no games , no dances ; yet the girls look forward to the bees as their greatest spring pleasures , and no one grudges the time or the strength they take . It was , indeed , a big bee that Elspie McCloud was having this June morning . Twenty young girls , all in long white aprons , were spinning away as if on a wager when Donald and Katie appeared at the door .