five o’clock
The old dragoon had been promoted to be cashier of a weekly journal established by his nephew . Although Finot was still proprietor of the other newspaper , which he had divided into shares , holding all the shares himself , the proprietor and editor `` de visu '' was one of his friends , named Lousteau , the son of that very sub-delegate of Issoudun on whom the Bridaus ' grandfather , Doctor Rouget , had vowed vengeance ; consequently he was the nephew of Madame Hochon . To make himself agreeable to his uncle , Finot gave Philippe the place Giroudeau was quitting ; cutting off , however , half the salary . Moreover , daily , at five o'clock , Giroudeau audited the accounts and carried away the receipts . Coloquinte , the old veteran , who was the office boy and did errands , also kept an eye on the slippery Philippe ; who was , however , behaving properly . A salary of six hundred francs , and the five hundred of his cross sufficed him to live , all the more because , living in a warm office all day and at the theatre on a free pass every evening , he had only to provide himself with food and a place to sleep in . Coloquinte was departing with the stamped papers on his head , and Philippe was brushing his false sleeves of green linen , when Joseph entered .