four o'clock
The tree was beautiful , the gifts amazing , the dinner , as Kate cooked and served it , a revelation , with its big centre basket of red , yellow , and green apples , oranges , bananas , grapes , and flowers . None of them ever had seen a table like that . Then when dinner was over , Kate sat before the fire and in her clear voice , with fine inflections , she read from the Big Book the story of the guiding star and the little child in the manger . Then she told stories , and they played games until four o'clock ; and then Adam rolled all of the children into the big wagon bed mounted on the sled runners , and took them home . Then he came back and finished the day . Mrs. Bates could scarcely be persuaded to go to bed . When at last Kate went to put out her mother 's light , and see that her feet were warm and her covers tucked , she found her crying .