one o'clock
No one spoke , and soon after that was heard the regular metallic _ chip _ -- _ chip _ -- _ chip _ of the picks in the black wall of coal , Ebenezer Parks muttering to himself the while , and thinking of how he could best revenge himself upon `` that boy . '' When her son went home , Mrs Hexton was sitting up very straight and stern-looking in her chair , with a knitted stocking in one hand , a worsted-threaded needle in the other , and a handkerchief tied over her head to keep off the draught , for the new drawing-room was cold . Mr Hexton was seated in an easy-chair -- at least , he was in the easy-chair ; but it is not fair to say that he was seated , for he was filling up the chair just as if he had no bones , and making a rather sonorous noise as he breathed . It was past one o'clock , and the servants had gone to bed at ten , soon after which time Mr Hexton had proposed that they should follow , but Mrs Hexton had declared her intention of sitting up for her son . `` Why , what nonsense ! '' her husband had said . `` Come along to bed . ''