nine o’clock in the morning
This silent , wan room , opening above on the sky , resembled a hole , or a vault dug out of grey clay . Laurent furnished the place anywise ; he brought a couple of chairs with holes in the rush seats , a table that he set against the wall so that it might not slip down , an old kitchen dresser , his colour-box and easel ; all the luxury in the place consisted of a spacious divan which he purchased for thirty francs from a second-hand dealer . He remained a fortnight without even thinking of touching his brushes . He arrived between eight and nine o'clock in the morning , smoked , stretched himself on the divan , and awaited noon , delighted that it was morning , and that he had many hours of daylight before him . At twelve he went to lunch . As soon as the meal was over , he hastened back , to be alone , and get away from the pale face of Therese . He next went through the process of digestion , sleeping spread out on the divan until evening .