About six o'clock
If he now and then sank into forgetfulness for a while , it was only to be harassed by the dreadful image of Mrs. Squallop , shouting at him , tearing his hair , cuffing him , flinging a pot of porter in his face , opening his boxes , tossing his clothes about , taking out his invaluable ornaments ; by Tag-rag kicking him out of the shop ; and Messrs. Quirk , Gammon , and Snap dashing past him in a fine carriage , with six horses , and paying no attention to him as he ran shouting and breathless after him ; Huckaback following , kicking and pinching him behind . These were the few little bits of different colored glass in a mental kaleidoscope , which , turned capriciously round , produced those innumerable fantastic combinations out of the simple and ordinary events of the day , which we call _ dreams _ -- tricks of the wild sisters Fancy , when sober Reason has left her seat for a while . But this is fitter for the Royal Society than the bedroom of Tittlebat Titmouse ; and I beg the reader 's pardon . About six o'clock , Titmouse rose and dressed himself ; and , slipping noiselessly and swiftly down-stairs , and out of the court , in order to avoid all possibility of encountering his landlady or his tailor , soon found himself in Oxford Street . Not many people were stirring there . One or two men who passed him were smoking their morning 's pipe , with a half-awakened air , as if they had only just got out of a snug bed , in which they always slept every moment that they lay upon it . Titmouse almost envied them !