one o'clock
It must be admitted that he was of some service to the town in this station at Mr. Gruby 's door , for he and Mr. Landor 's Newfoundland dog , who stretched himself and gaped on the opposite causeway , took something from the lifeless air that belonged to the High Street on every day except Saturday . Certainly , in spite of three assemblies and a charity ball in the winter , the occasional advent of a ventriloquist , or a company of itinerant players , some of whom were very highly thought of in London , and the annual three-days ' fair in June , Milby might be considered dull by people of a hypochondriacal temperament ; and perhaps this was one reason why many of the middle-aged inhabitants , male and female , often found it impossible to keep up their spirits without a very abundant supply of stimulants . It is true there were several substantial men who had a reputation for exceptional sobriety , so that Milby habits were really not as bad as possible ; and no one is warranted in saying that old Mr. Crewe 's flock could not have been worse without any clergyman at all . The well-dressed parishioners generally were very regular church-goers , and to the younger ladies and gentlemen I am inclined to think that the Sunday morning service was the most exciting event of the week ; for few places could present a more brilliant show of out-door toilettes than might be seen issuing from Milby church at one o'clock . There were the four tall Miss Pittmans , old lawyer Pittman 's daughters , with cannon curls surmounted by large hats , and long , drooping ostrich feathers of parrot green . There was Miss Phipps , with a crimson bonnet , very much tilted up behind , and a cockade of stiff feathers on the summit . There was Miss Landor , the belle of Milby , clad regally in purple and ermine , with a plume of feathers neither drooping nor erect , but maintaining a discreet medium .