about half past nine
Even those who would rather have had tea or coffee had beer , because if they went to a temperance restaurant or coffee tavern it generally happened that they were not treated very civilly unless they bought something to eat as well as to drink , and the tea at such places was really dearer than beer , and the latter was certainly quite as good to drink as the stewed tea or the liquid mud that was sold as coffee at cheap ` Workmen 's ' Eating Houses . There were some who were -- as they thought -- exceptionally lucky : the firms they worked for were busy enough to let them work two hours ' overtime every night -- till half past seven -- without stopping for tea . Most of these arrived home about eight , completely flattened out . Then they had some tea and a wash and before they knew where they were it was about half past nine . Then they went to sleep again till half past four or five the next morning . They were usually so tired when they got home at night that they never had any inclination for study or any kind of self-improvement , even if they had had the time . They had plenty of time to study during the winter : and their favourite subject then was , how to preserve themselves from starving to death .