five o'clock
`` It 's yo ' house , Miz Williams , not mine . You want 'em tear it down , I 'm willin ' . '' She departed , and Mrs. Williams continued to sew . The days were growing short , and at five o'clock she was obliged to put the work aside , as her eyes did not permit her to continue it by artificial light . Descending to the lower floor , she found the house silent , and when she opened the front door to see if the evening paper had come , she beheld Sam , Penrod and Maurice Levy standing near the gate engaged in quiet conversation . Penrod and Maurice departed while she was looking for the paper , and Sam came thoughtfully up the walk . `` Well , Sam , '' she said , `` it was n't such a bad thing , after all , to show a little politeness to Georgie Bassett , was it ? ''