ten o'clock
So she had `` stuck up for Bill Laycock , '' and her partisanship had become warmer from opposition . It was at best a rude kind of liking , for she never failed to tell any unkind thing she heard about him . She had , however , nothing fresh to say , and Bill felt relieved . He ate his breakfast and went to his forge until ten o'clock . Then he called at Swale 's . He fancied the lawyer was `` a bit offish , '' but he promised him the money that night , and with this promise Bill had to be content . Business had long been slack ; his forge was cold when he got back , and he had no heart to rekindle it .