six o'clock
But then , though the `` sewing-circle '' is the generally approved and orthodox outlet for the benevolent feelings and efforts of those dear ladies who _ love to do good _ , but who are apt to be bored by motherless little girls , and other poor people , who live in garrets , and out of the way places , difficult of access , it is just possible that direct efforts in their behalf may be accepted too . One thing is certain , though Graeme did not find it easy for a while to satisfy herself , as to the `` moral quality '' of the motive which kept her at home , the little Finlays were all the happier and better for the time she conscientiously bestowed on them and their affairs . They made some acquaintances that summer , and very pleasant ones , too . Arthur used sometimes to bring home to their six o'clock dinner , a friend or two of his clients from the country , or a young lawyer , or lawyer 's clerk , to whom the remembrance of his own first lonely days in the city made him wish to show kindness . There were two or three gay French lads of the latter class who , strange to say , had taken a great liking to the grave and steady Arthur , and who often came to pass an evening at his pleasant fireside . Graeme was shy of them for a while , not being clear as to the principles and practice of the French as a people , and as for Rose , the very sight of these polite moustached gentlemen suggested historical names and events , which it was not at all comfortable to think about . But those light-hearted Canadian lads soon proved themselves to be as worthy of esteem as though English had been their mother tongue .