seven A.M.
He was twenty-three when he left Blakeville . Wasted ages ! Somehow he liked the ready-made garments he used to buy at the Emporium much better than those he wore nowadays -- fashionable duds from Fifth Avenue at six times the price . He used to be busy from seven A.M. till ten P.M. , and he was happy . Nowadays he had nothing to do but get up and shave and take Phoebe for walks , eat , read the papers , tell stories to Phoebe , and go to bed . To be sure , the food was good and plentiful , the bed was soft , and the cottage more attractive than anything Blakeville could boast of ; Phoebe was a joy and Nellie a jewel , but -- heigh-ho ! he might have been a partner in Davis ' drug store if he 'd stayed in the old town .