nine o'clock
Two ugly , lean-looking dogs guarded the entrance to the hut . When they saw the woman coming , they jumped up and began to bark savagely ; poor Maggie began to scream , and Polly for the first time discovered that there could be a worse state of things than solitary confinement in her room , with Webster 's Dictionary for company . `` Sit you there , '' said the woman , pushing the little girls into the hut . `` I 'll be back at nine o'clock . I 'm off now on some business of my own . When I come back I 'll take your clothes , and give you a sack each to wear . Cinder and Flinder will take care of you ; they 're very savage dogs , and can bite awful , but they wo n't touch you if you sit very quiet , and do n't attempt to run away . ''