seven o'clock
Whilst Easton was asleep , Slyme had been downstairs in the kitchen , making a fretwork frame . He played with Freddie while Ruth prepared the tea , and he appeared to her to be so unconscious of having done anything unusual that she began to think that she must have been mistaken in imagining that he had intended anything wrong . After tea , Slyme put on his best clothes to go to his usual ` open-air ' meeting . As a rule Easton and Ruth went out marketing together every Saturday night , but this evening he could not wait for her because he had promised to meet Crass at seven o'clock ; so he arranged to see her down town at eight . The ` Open-air ' During the last few weeks ever since he had been engaged on the decoration of the drawing-room , Owen had been so absorbed in his work that he had no time for other things . Of course , all he was paid for was the time he actually worked , but really every waking moment of his time was given to the task . Now that it was finished he felt something like one aroused from a dream to the stern realities and terrors of life .