five o'clock
And now -- ! He kicked forth his feet , and brought brass tongs and shovel clattering on the hearth . It relieved his exasperation . The fatal telegram had reached him at five o'clock , as he was on the point of donning his coat . From five to six , he had remained in a torpor of disappointment , continually wondering whether Phil 's sister would care . At six , his own boarding house being closed for the recess , he had trudged through the snow to a restaurant in the square , and had dined miserably on lukewarm turkey and lumpy mashed potatoes . And now it was nearly eight , and he did not even care to smoke .