midnight
But when he did this discipline suddenly entered into them , and they all struck the table after him in turn . Sometimes , when matters got too bad , Master Andres had to find some reason for coming into the room . The long working-hours , the bad food , and the foul air of the workshop left their mark on Pelle . His attachment to Master Andres was limitless ; he could sit there till midnight and work without payment if a promise had been made to finish some particular job . But otherwise he was imperceptibly slipping into the general slackness , sharing the others ' opinion of the day as something utterly abominable , which one must somehow endeavor to get through . To work at half pressure was a physical necessity ; his rare movements wearied him , and he felt less inclined to work than to brood . The semi-darkness of the sunless workshop bleached his skin and filled him with unhealthy imaginations .