midnight
As to Mr Pecksniff , he told them in the fly , that a good action was its own reward ; and rather gave them to understand , that if he could have been kicked in such a cause , he would have liked it all the better . But this was no comfort to the young ladies , who scolded violently the whole way back , and even exhibited , more than once , a keen desire to attack the devoted Mrs Todgers ; on whose personal appearance , but particularly on whose offending card and hand-basket , they were secretly inclined to lay the blame of half their failure . Todgers 's was in a great bustle that evening , partly owing to some additional domestic preparations for the morrow , and partly to the excitement always inseparable in that house from Saturday night , when every gentleman 's linen arrived at a different hour in its own little bundle , with his private account pinned on the outside . There was always a great clinking of pattens downstairs , too , until midnight or so , on Saturdays ; together with a frequent gleaming of mysterious lights in the area ; much working at the pump ; and a constant jangling of the iron handle of the pail . Shrill altercations from time to time arose between Mrs Todgers and unknown females in remote back kitchens ; and sounds were occasionally heard , indicative of small articles of iron mongery and hardware being thrown at the boy . It was the custom of that youth on Saturdays , to roll up his shirt sleeves to his shoulders , and pervade all parts of the house in an apron of coarse green baize ; moreover , he was more strongly tempted on Saturdays than on other days -LRB- it being a busy time -RRB- , to make excursive bolts into the neighbouring alleys when he answered the door , and there to play at leap-frog and other sports with vagrant lads , until pursued and brought back by the hair of his head or the lobe of his ear ; thus he was quite a conspicuous feature among the peculiar incidents of the last day in the week at Todgers 's . He was especially so on this particular Saturday evening , and honoured the Miss Pecksniffs with a deal of notice ; seldom passing the door of Mrs Todgers 's private room , where they sat alone before the fire , working by the light of a solitary candle , without putting in his head and greeting them with some such compliments as , ` There you are agin ! '