one o'clock
And after that , in her father 's study from which he had fled with his morning cigar , for two hours Edith held school for her children , trying her best to be patient and clear , with text-books she had purchased from their former schools uptown . For two severe hours , shutting the world all out of her head , she tried to teach them about it . At eleven , their nerves on edge like her own , she sent them outdoors `` to play , '' intrusting the small ones to Betsy and George , who took them to Washington Square nearby with strict injunctions to keep them away from all other children . No doubt there were `` nice '' children there , but she herself could not be along to distinguish the `` nice '' from the `` common '' -- for until one o'clock she was busy at home , bathing the baby and making the beds , and then hurrying to the kitchen to pasteurize the baby 's milk and keep a vigilant oversight on the cooking of the midday meal . And the old cook 's growing resentment made it far from easy . After luncheon , thank heaven , came their naps . And all afternoon , while again they went out , Edith would look over their wardrobes , mend and alter and patch and contrive how to make last winter 's clothes look new .