seven o'clock
in the morning
He hated dirt , and loved to be nice and clean , which nobody could be for a minute in the breaker . He also loved the sunlight , the fields , and the woods ; but no sunshine ever penetrated the thick dust-clouds within these walls . In the summer-time it shone fierce and hot on the long sloping roof , just above the boys ' heads , until the interior was like an oven , and in winter they were chilled by the cold winds that blew in through the ever-open windows . Here , and under these conditions , Derrick must work from seven o'clock in the morning until six in the evening . At noon the boys were allowed forty minutes in which to eat the luncheons brought in their little tin pails , and draw a few breaths of fresh air . During the first few weeks of this life there were times when it seemed to Derrick that he could not bear it any longer . More than once , as he sat beside the rattling chute , mechanically sorting the never-ending stream , with hands cut and bruised by the sharp slate , great tears rolled down his grimy cheeks .