six o’clock in the morning
On week-days he generally wore a waistcoat with sleeves and a black apron . He was never dirty ; in fact , he was rather particular as to neatness and cleanliness ; but he was always a little dingy and iron-coloured , as retail ironmongers are apt to be . He was now in charge of the business under his father ; stood behind the counter ; weighed nails ; examined locks brought for repair ; went to the different houses in Cowfold with a man under him to look at boiler-pipes , the man wearing a cap and George a tall hat . He had a hard , healthy , honest life , was up at six o'clock in the morning , ate well , and slept well . He was always permitted by his father to go on these excursions , and , in fact , they could not have been a success without him . If anything went wrong he was always the man to set it right . If a horse became restive , George was invariably the one to jump out , and nobody else thought of stirring .