ten in the evening
His duties were by day those of valet-de-chambre on the third floor ; by night he acted as omnibus in the restaurant . For these services he received no pay and less consideration from his employers -LRB- who would have been horrified by the suggestion that they countenanced slavery -RRB- only his board and a bed in a room scarcely larger , if somewhat better ventilated , than the boudoir-closet from which he had long since been ousted . This room was on the ground floor , at the back of the house , and boasted a small window overlooking a narrow alley . He was routed out before daylight , and his working day ended as a rule at ten in the evening -- though when there were performances on at the Odéon , the restaurant remained open until an indeterminate hour for the accommodation of the supper trade . Once back in his kennel , its door closed and bolted , Marcel was free to squirm out of the window and roam and range Paris at will . And it was thus that he came by most of his knowledge of the city . But for the most part Marcel preferred to lie abed and read himself half-blind by the light of purloined candle-ends .