three o’clock
`` While he is lying on the bed , taking an after-dinner nap ! A nice husband ! '' It is quite true , he is taking an after dinner nap , for he is suffering from anaemia . At three o'clock the postman rings again ; he is expected to answer a letter from Berlin in German , one from Paris in French , and one from London in English . His wife , who has returned from the tailor 's and refreshed herself with a cognac , asks him whether he feels inclined to make an excursion with the children . No , he has letters to write . When he has finished his letters , he goes out for a stroll before dinner .