seven o'clock
All Metford 's employees , with the exception of Dave , were foreigners , more or less inconversant with the English language . Somewhat to his surprise , they maintained an attitude of superiority toward him , carrying on their conversations in a strange tongue , and allowing him little part in their common life . Dave 's spirit , which had always been accustomed to receive and be received on a basis of absolute equality , rebelled violently against the intangible wall of exclusion which his fellow workers built about themselves , and as they had shown no desire for his company , he retaliated by showing still less for theirs , with the result that he found himself very much alone and apart from the life of his new surroundings . His work and supper were over by seven o'clock each evening , and now was the opportunity for him to begin the schooling for which he had left the ranch . But he developed a sudden disinclination to make the start ; he was tired in the evening , and he found it much more to his liking to stroll down town , smoke cigarettes on the street corners , or engage in an occasional game of pool . In this way the weeks went by , and when his month with Metford was up he had neglected to find another position , so he continued where he was . He was being gradually and unconsciously submerged in an inertia which , however much it might hate its present surroundings , had not the spirit to seek a more favourable environment .