nine o'clock
Under any circumstances Clara would ill have borne a suspense that irritated her pride , and at present she lived amid conditions so repugnant , that her nerves were ceaselessly strung almost beyond endurance . Before entering upon this engagement she had formed but an imperfect notion of what would be demanded of her . To begin with , Mrs. Tubbs belonged to the order of women who are by nature slave-drivers ; though it was her interest to secure Clara for a permanency , she began by exacting from the girl as much labour as could possibly be included in their agreement . The hours were insufferably long ; by nine o'clock each evening Clara was so outworn that with difficulty she remained standing , yet not until midnight was she released . The unchanging odours of the place sickened her , made her head ache , and robbed her of all appetite . Many of the duties were menial , and to perform them fevered her with indignation . Then the mere waiting upon such men as formed the majority of the customers , vulgarly familiar , when not insolent , in their speech to her , was hateful beyond anything she had conceived .