six o'clock
There they drank pale tea , the pot kept simmering on a spirit-stove , and read the foreign papers which had just come . Mevrouw did not read , she made tea and did crochet work , a strip like Vrouw Snieder 's , only yellow instead of red . Julia , it is to be feared , did not try to master the pattern so kindly set right by Denah ; she could not resist the breath from the outside world which the papers brought . At six o'clock Mijnheer and his son went back to the office , and Julia , having washed the tea-cups , joined Mevrouw in the sitting-room . It was never very light in that room , for the walls were covered with a crimson flock paper and the woodwork was black ; while the windows , which looked on the canal , were always shaded till dark . They sat here at work on the morning gown , till supper time . Mijnheer sometimes came in an hour before supper , as early as half-past eight ; Joost had usually too much to do to come in before half-past nine .