ten o’clock
He has watched generations of diners come and go ; some came for a year , some for two , some for five years ; then they disappeared , went to another restaurant , left the town or got married . He feels very old , although he is only thirty-two ! The restaurant is his home , for his furnished room is nothing but the place where he sleeps . It is ten o'clock . He leaves his table and goes to the back room where his grog awaits him . This is the time when the bookseller arrives . They play a game of chess or talk about books .