midnight
`` Bear ye one another 's burdens , '' saith the Scripture ; but Bobby was not old enough or astute enough to realize that Mr. Hardhand 's burden was his wealth , his love of money ; that it made him little better than a Hottentot ; and he could not feel as charitably towards him as a Christian should towards his erring , weak brother . Setting his pole by the door , he entered the room where Hardhand was abusing his mother . Bobby was so indignant at the conduct of Mr. Hardhand , that he entirely forgot the adventure of the morning ; and he did not even think of the gold he had in his pocket . He loved his mother ; he knew how hard she had worked for him and his brother and sisters ; that she had burned the `` midnight oil '' at her clamps ; and it made him feel very bad to near her abused as Mr. Hardhand was abusing her . It was not her fault that she had not the money to pay him . She had been obliged to spend a large portion of her time over the sick beds of her children , so that she could not earn so much money as usual ; while the family expenses were necessarily much greater . Bobby knew also that Mr. Hardhand was aware of all the circumstances of his mother 's position , and the more he considered the case the more brutal and inhuman was his course .