three o'clock
snapped Mrs. Scrimp . `` I 'm old enough to be your mother , Mrs. Raymond , and having had that child in charge for over two years -- ever since her own mother died -- I ought to know what 's good for her and what is n't . She is naturally delicate , and to be allowed to overload her stomach would be the death of her . I ca n't eat after three o'clock , and neither can she . '' `` A grown person is no rule for a child , '' observed Violet , gently smoothing Gracie 's hair ; `` children need to eat enough to supply material for growth in addition to the waste of the system . Was it by the advice of a competent physician you subjected her to such a regimen ? '' `` I 've always had medical advice for her when it was needed , '' snapped Mrs. Scrimp .