eight
o'clock
They simply `` remembered the Sabbath day to keep it holy ; '' they arranged so as to make it for all the household a day of rest : and they went regularly to church once -- sometimes Selina and Hilary went twice . For the intervening hours , their usual custom was to take an afternoon walk in the fields ; begun chiefly for Ascott 's sake , to keep the lad out of mischief , and put into his mind better thoughts than he was likely to get from his favorite Sunday recreation of sitting on the wall throwing stones . After he left for London there was Elizabeth to be thought of ; and they decided that the best Sabbath duty for the little servant was to go and see her mother . So they gave her every Sunday afternoon free ; only requiring that she should be at home punctually after church time , at eight o'clock . But from thence till bedtime was a blank two hours , which , Hilary had noticed , Elizabeth not infrequently spent in dozing over the fire . `` And I wonder , '' said she , giving the end of her long meditation out loud , `` whether going to sleep is not as much Sabbath breaking as learning to write ? What do you say , Johanna ? ''