noon
It was necessary for the packing machines to grind till late at night to provide food that would be eaten at Christmas breakfasts ; and Marija and Elzbieta and Ona , as part of the machine , began working fifteen or sixteen hours a day . There was no choice about this -- whatever work there was to be done they had to do , if they wished to keep their places ; besides that , it added another pittance to their incomes . So they staggered on with the awful load . They would start work every morning at seven , and eat their dinners at noon , and then work until ten or eleven at night without another mouthful of food . Jurgis wanted to wait for them , to help them home at night , but they would not think of this ; the fertilizer mill was not running overtime , and there was no place for him to wait save in a saloon . Each would stagger out into the darkness , and make her way to the corner , where they met ; or if the others had already gone , would get into a car , and begin a painful struggle to keep awake . When they got home they were always too tired either to eat or to undress ; they would crawl into bed with their shoes on , and lie like logs .