six o'clock
But no one had arrived on this afternoon , and the good lady had thus slept on undisturbed . ` What is the time , Miss Palmer ? It must be time for tea . ' ` Oh , yes , madam ; it is six o'clock . I will go and boil the kettle , and make the tea ; please give me the keys of the caddy . ' Bryda took the large tortoiseshell caddy from the shelf in the glass cupboard , and Mrs Lambert solemnly unlocked it . Tea was precious in those days , and Mrs Lambert took a teaspoon and carefully measured the precise quantity , saying , -- ` One for each person , and one for the pot . '