nine o'clock at night
It was as though the tortured portion of her brain had at length been seared . To Janet , her mother 's condition when she had time to think of it -- was at once a relief and a new and terrible source of anxiety . Mercifully , however , she had little leisure to reflect on that tragedy , else her own sanity might have been endangered . As soon as breakfast was over she hurried across the city to the Franco-Belgian Hall , and often did not return until nine o'clock at night , usually so tired that she sank into bed and fell asleep . For she threw herself into her new labours with the desperate energy that seeks forgetfulness , not daring to pause to think about herself , to reflect upon what the future might hold for her when the strike should be over . Nor did she confine herself to typewriting , but , as with Ditmar , constantly assumed a greater burden of duty , helping Czernowitz -- who had the work of five men -- with his accounts , with the distribution of the funds to the ever-increasing number of the needy who were facing starvation . The money was paid out to them in proportion to the size of their families ; as the strike became more and more effective their number increased until many mills had closed ; other mills , including the Chippering , were still making a desperate attempt to operate their looms , and sixteen thousand operatives were idle .