six in
the evening
Behind the dining-room , that pleasant library , referred to by the old lady in her tale , looked upon the flat roofs and netted cupolas of the kitchen quarters ; and on a second visit , this room appeared to greet him with a smiling countenance . He might as well , he thought , avoid the expense of lodging : the library fitted with an iron bedstead which he had remarked , in one of the upper chambers , would serve his purpose for the night ; while in the dining-room , which was large , airy , and lightsome , looking on the square and garden , he might very agreeably pass his days , cook his meals , and study to bring himself to some proficiency in that art of painting which he had recently determined to adopt . It did not take him long to make the change : he had soon returned to the mansion with his modest kit ; and the cabman who brought him was readily induced , by the young man 's pleasant manner and a small gratuity , to assist him in the installation of the iron bed . By six in the evening , when Somerset went forth to dine , he was able to look back upon the mansion with a sense of pride and property . Four-square it stood , of an imposing frontage , and flanked on either side by family hatchments . His eye , from where he stood whistling in the key , with his back to the garden railings , reposed on every feature of reality ; and yet his own possession seemed as flimsy as a dream . In the course of a few days , the genteel inhabitants of the square began to remark the customs of their neighbour .