eight o'clock
He himself was a light sleeper ; he had got into the way of waking at the slightest sound , from the long watches he had had for his father 's return , and felt sure that he should have heard them open their door and steal along the passage past his room , however quietly they might do it . He walked up the Exchange , then along Cheapside as far as St. Paul 's , and back . Quiet as it was in Thames Street there was no lack of animation elsewhere . Apprentices were generally allowed to go out for an hour after supper , the regulation being that they returned to their homes by eight o'clock . Numbers of these were about . A good many citizens were on their way home after supping with friends . The city watch , with lanterns , patrolled the streets , and not infrequently interfered in quarrels which broke out among the apprentices .