half past five
` Morpheus ' wrote that not only did they make a dreadful noise with their horrible iron-clad boots , but they were in the habit of coughing and spitting a great deal , which was very unpleasant to hear , and they conversed in loud tones . Sometimes their conversation was not at all edifying , for it consisted largely of bad language , which ` Morpheus ' assumed to be attributable to the fact that they were out of temper because they had to rise so early . As a rule they worked till half-past five in the evening , and by the time they reached home it was six o'clock . When they had taken their evening meal and had a wash it was nearly eight : about nine most of them went to bed so as to be able to get up about half past four the next morning to make a cup of tea before leaving home at half past five to go to work again . Frequently it happened that they had to leave home earlier than this , because their ` job ' was more than half an hour 's walk away . It did not matter how far away the ` job ' was from the shop , the men had to walk to and fro in their own time , for Trades Union rules were a dead letter in Mugsborough . There were no tram fares or train fares or walking time allowed for the likes of them .