About nine o'clock
A few early drinkers were already in the bar-room -- men with shattered nerves and cadaverous faces , who could not begin the day 's work without the stimulus of brandy or whisky . They came in , with gliding footsteps , asked for what they wanted in low voices , drank in silence , and departed . It was a melancholy sight to look upon . About nine o'clock the landlord made his appearance . He , too , came gliding into the bar-room , and his first act was to seize upon a brandy decanter , pour out nearly half a pint of the fiery liquid , and drink it off . How badly his hand shook -- so badly that he spilled the brandy both in pouring it out and in lifting the glass to his lips ! What a shattered wreck he was !