three o'clock
` Has the colonel seen it , Miss Esther ? ' ` No , and I do not mean he shall , till we have got it so nice for him that he will feel comfortable . ' The work of moving and getting settled began without delay . Mrs. Barker spent all the afternoons at the new house ; and thither came Esther also every day as soon as school was out at three o'clock . The girl worked very hard in these times ; for after her long morning in school she gave the rest of the daylight hours to arranging and establishing furniture , hanging draperies , putting up hooks , and the like ; and after that she went home to make her father 's tea , and give him as much cheery talk as she could command . In the business of moving , however , she found unexpected assistance . When Christopher told his wife of the decision about the house , the answering remark , made approvingly , was , ` That 's a spunky little girl ! '