five o'clock
Among all the things he had accepted , he accepted most of all the fact that she was perfect . Too perfect to be the helpmate of his imperfection . He shuddered at the years that were in store for him . Always to do without her , always to be tortured by the fairness of her presence and the sweetness of her voice ; always to sit up late and rise up early , in order to get away from the thought of them ; to come down and find her fairness and sweetness smiling politely at him over the teapot ; to hunt in the morning-paper for news to interest her ; to mix with business men all day , and talk business , and to return at five o'clock and find her , punctual and perfect , smiling in her duty , over another teapot ; to rack his brains for something to talk about to her ; not to be allowed to mention his own friends , but to have to feign indestructible interest in the Eliotts and the Gardners ; to dine with the inspiration drawn again from the paper ; and then , perhaps , to be read aloud to all evening , till it was time to go to bed again . That was how his days went on . The child and Edie were his only accessible sources of consolation . But Edie was dying by inches ; and he had to suppress his affection for the child , as well as his passion for the mother .