six o'clock
`` Fifteen , '' read the repair man ; and then , after a moment : `` Hell ! '' The daily business , therefore , opened normally . The elevators shot from floor to floor ; the telephones rang ; the call-bells buzzed , and all was well . At six o'clock came the scrub-woman ; at half past seven the office boys ; at eight the clerks ; a little later some of the heads ; and precisely at nine Malachi McCarthy , as was his invariable habit . As the bulky form of the political boss pushed around the leaves of the revolving door , the elevator starter glanced at his watch . This was not to determine if McCarthy was on time , but to see if the watch was right . McCarthy had recovered his good humor .