twelve o'clock
By her first day 's efforts in the market-house , Mrs. Haller earned three-quarters of a dollar , with which she bought food for herself and children , and re-invested the original amount . On the next day , as on the first , she disposed of her whole stock , and was so fortunate in her sales as to clear one dollar . On the next day she did not sell more than half of her little stock , and cleared only thirty-seven-and-a-half cents on that . Greatly discouraged she went home at twelve o'clock , and was still further cast down at finding her husband there , come to take up his lodgings , and eat up her meagre earnings from her children . She remonstrated against his coming back , but with drunken oath and cruel threats he let her know that he should stay there in spite of her . Before night , her oldest son , a worthless vagabond , also made his appearance , and between them swept off all the food , that she had bought with the profits on her five dollars , which she had resolved from the first not to break . On the next morning she cleared a full dollar , and on Saturday , another .