four o’clock
why , about this much , ma'am , '' said the gardener , marking off a piece of the border with his spade . `` Then , little boy , '' said the lady , `` so much shall be your task every day . The gardener will mark it off for you ; and when you 've done , the rest of the day you may do what you please . '' Jem was extremely glad of this ; and the next day he had finished his task by four o'clock ; so that he had all the rest of the evening to himself . He was as fond of play as any little boy could be ; and when he was at it he played with all the eagerness and gaiety imaginable ; so as soon as he had finished his task , fed Lightfoot , and put by the sixpence he had earned that day , he ran to the playground in the village , where he found a party of boys playing , and amongst them Lazy Lawrence , who indeed was not playing , but lounging upon a gate , with his thumb in his mouth . The rest were playing at cricket . Jem joined them , and was the merriest and most active amongst them ; till , at last , when quite out of breath with running , he was obliged to give up to rest himself , and sat down upon the stile , close to the gate on which Lazy Lawrence was swinging .