ten o'clock
She slowly descended the stairs , and once more came out upon the streets . And upon those streets that , as the hours advanced , grew more and more deserted , more and more silent , more and more oppressive with the sense of the bitter hardness of life towards those who have no means of living , Minna Hooven spent the first night of her struggle to keep her head above the ebb-tide of the city 's sea , into which she had been plunged . Morning came , and with it renewed hunger . At this time , she had found her way uptown again , and towards ten o'clock was sitting upon a bench in a little park full of nurse-maids and children . A group of the maids drew their baby-buggies to Minna 's bench , and sat down , continuing a conversation they had already begun . Minna listened . A friend of one of the maids had suddenly thrown up her position , leaving her `` madame '' in what would appear to have been deserved embarrassment .