nearly midnight
He was so conscious of this that it gave him a shamefaced manner , which , coupled as it was with his shabby clothing , did not create a very favourable impression upon those he addressed , who usually treated him with about as much courtesy as they would have extended to any other sort of beggar . Generally , after a day 's canvassing , he returned home unsuccessful and faint with hunger and fatigue . Once , when there was a bitterly cold east wind blowing , he was out on one of these canvassing expeditions and contracted a severe cold : his chest became so bad that he found it almost impossible to speak , because the effort to do so often brought on a violent fit of coughing . It was during this time that a firm of drapers , for whom he had done some showcards , sent him an order for one they wanted in a hurry , it had to be delivered the next morning , so he stayed up by himself till nearly midnight to do it . As he worked , he felt a strange sensation in his chest : it was not exactly a pain , and he would have found it difficult to describe it in words -- it was just a sensation . He did not attach much importance to it , thinking it an effect of the cold he had taken , but whatever it was he could not help feeling conscious of it all the time . Frankie had been put to bed that evening at the customary hour , but did not seem to be sleeping as well as usual .