seven o'clock
As she reached the street she realized that she felt stronger and happier : the little episode had done her good . It was the first time she had ever come across the results of her spasmodic benevolence , and the surprised sense of human fellowship took the mortal chill from her heart . It was not till she entered her own door that she felt the reaction of a deeper loneliness . It was long after seven o'clock , and the light and odours proceeding from the basement made it manifest that the boarding-house dinner had begun . She hastened up to her room , lit the gas , and began to dress . She did not mean to pamper herself any longer , to go without food because her surroundings made it unpalatable . Since it was her fate to live in a boarding-house , she must learn to fall in with the conditions of the life .