ten o'clock at night before
Her mother answered for her . `` She 's mixin ' up some custard for pies , '' said she . `` I dun ` no ' as there 's any need of you standin ' lookin ' as if you never saw any before . '' `` Never saw you makin ' custard-pies at ten o'clock at night before , '' returned Jerome , with blunt defiance . `` Do you s ` pose , '' said his mother , `` that I 'm goin ' to let your father go off an ' die all alone an ' take no notice of it ? '' `` Dun ` no ' what you mean ? '' `` Do n't you know it 's three days since he went off to get that wood an ' never come back ? ''