ten o'clock
` Amen , ' said the believers , fervently , and then the man who was dressed in the long garment entreated all those who were not yet true believers -- and doers -- of the word to join earnestly and MEANINGLY in the singing of the closing hymn , which he was about to read out to them . The Semi-drunk obligingly conducted as before , and the crowd faded away with the last notes of the music . Ruth As has already been stated , hitherto Slyme had passed the greater number of his evenings at home , but during the following three weeks a change took place in his habits in this respect . He now went out nearly every night and did not return until after ten o'clock . On meeting nights he always changed his attire , dressing himself as on Sundays , but on the other occasions he went out in his week-day clothes . Ruth often wondered where he went on those nights , but he never volunteered the information and she never asked him . Easton had chummed up with a lot of the regular customers at the ` Cricketers ' , where he now spent most of his spare time , drinking beer , telling yarns or playing shove-ha ` penny or hooks and rings .