about nine o'clock
The sweetness he was conscious of was not all in the mouth . Never that he could remember had Louie shown him any such mark of favour . Next day David was sent down with the donkey-cart to Clough End to bring up some weekly stores for the family , Hannah specially charging him to call at the post-office and inquire for letters . He started about nine o'clock , and the twelve o'clock dinner passed by without his reappearance . When she had finished her supply of meat and suet-pudding , after a meal during which no one of the three persons at table had uttered a word , Louie abruptly pushed her plate back again towards Hannah . ` David ! ' was all she said .