a quarter past nine
She received her fifteen sous with humble thankfulness , in constant apprehension of losing even that miserable pittance . Nor would her employer consent to let her work by the piece , at which the dear child might have earned at least thirty sous , for she discovered that she had to deal with a person of conscience , and that in no mode could as much be possibly extracted from the assistant , as by confiding to her own honor . At nine each day she was to breakfast . At a quarter past nine , precisely , to commence work for her employer ; at one , she had a remission of half an hour ; and at six , she became her own mistress . -LCB- marchande de mode = milliner ; rusee = crafty ; couturiere = seamstress -RCB- `` I put confidence in you , mademoiselle , '' said the marchande de mode , `` and leave you to yourself entirely . You will bring home the work as it is finished , and your money will be always ready . Should your grandmother occupy more of your time than common , on any occasion , you can make it up of yourself , by working a little earlier , or a little later ; or , once in a while , you can throw in a day , to make up for lost time .