six o'clock
He did not stay to wait for her answer , but hastened away to perform his toilette . They dined at a small table in a great large room . There were so few articles of furniture in it , and the apartment itself was so vast , that Molly longed for the snugness of the home dining-room ; nay , it is to be feared that , before the stately dinner at Hamley Hall came to an end , she even regretted the crowded chairs and tables , the hurry of eating , the quick unformal manner in which everybody seemed to finish their meal as fast as possible , and to return to the work they had left . She tried to think that at six o'clock all the business of the day was ended , and that people might linger if they chose . She measured the distance from the sideboard to the table with her eye , and made allowances for the men who had to carry things backwards and forwards ; but , all the same , this dinner appeared to her a wearisome business , prolonged because the Squire liked it , for Mrs. Hamley seemed tired out . She ate even less than Molly , and sent for fan and smelling-bottle to amuse herself with , until at length the table-cloth was cleared away , and the dessert was put upon a mahogany table , polished like a looking-glass . The Squire had hitherto been too busy to talk , except about the immediate concerns of the table , and one or two of the greatest breaks to the usual monotony of his days ; a monotony in which he delighted , but which sometimes became oppressive to his wife .