one o'clock
When she had crossed City Road , Clem 's foot was on her native soil ; she bore herself with conscious importance , hoping to meet some acquaintance who would be impressed by her attire and demeanour . Nothing of the kind happened , however . It was the dead hour of Sunday morning , midway in service-time , and long before the opening of public-houses . In the neighbourhood of those places of refreshment were occasionally found small groups of men and boys , standing with their hands in their pockets , dispirited , seldom caring even to smoke ; they kicked their heels against the kerbstone and sighed for one o'clock . Clem went by them with a haughty balance of her head . As she entered by the open front door and began to descend the kitchen steps , familiar sounds were audible . Mrs. Peckover 's voice was raised in dispute with some one ; it proved to be a quarrel with a female lodger respecting the sum of threepence-farthing , alleged by the landlady to be owing on some account or other .