ten o'clock
I merely asked him for it politely , and he asked me what I wanted to do with it . I told him I wanted to take out screws , and the reason impressed him so that he handed it over without a word . Peters , '' she added , `` is a dear ; only he 's like every other man -- you have to use diplomacy . '' By ten o'clock that night the study carpet of 399 was neatly folded and deposited at the end of the corridor above , whence its origin would be difficult to trace . The entire region was steeped in an odor of turpentine , and the study floor of 399 was a shining black , except for four or five unpainted spots which Patty designated as `` stepping-stones , '' and which were to be treated later . Every caller that had dropped in during the afternoon or evening had had a brush thrust into her hand and had been made to go down upon her knees and paint . Besides the floor , three bookcases and a chair had been transferred from mahogany to Flemish oak , and there was still half a can of paint left which Patty was anxiously trying to dispose of .