nine o'clock
He saved enough money by pinching and grinding his crew -- and himself -- to enable him to buy the vessel to which he had been appointed . Then he bought others , established what was known as Rodway 's Line , gave up going to sea himself , rented an office in a mean street , where he slept and cooked his meals , and worked harder than ever at making money , oblivious of the sneers of those who railed at his parsimony . He was content . One Monday morning at nine o'clock he took his seat as usual in his office , and began to open his pile of letters , his square-set , hard face , with its cold grey eyes , looking harder than ever , for he had been annoyed by the old charwoman who cleaned his squalid place asking him for more wages . He was half-way through his correspondence when a knock sounded . `` Come in , '' he said gruffly . The door opened , and a handsome , well-built young man of about thirty years of age entered .