nine o'clock
Both of them would stand and watch with their hands behind their backs , puffing on their pipes . The painters were very merry fellows who would often desert their work to stand in the middle of the shop and join the discussion , shaking their heads for hours , admiring the work already done . The ceiling had been whitewashed quickly , but the paint on the walls never seemed to dry in a hurry . Around nine o'clock the painters would arrive with their paint pots which they stuck in a corner . They would look around and then disappear . Perhaps they went to eat breakfast . Sometimes Coupeau would take everyone for a drink -- Boche , the two painters and any of Coupeau 's friends who were nearby .