twelve o'clock
Plenty of people were passing to and fro , and the middle of the road was very muddy . Tony begged a wisp of straw from a cabman , to make a seat for Dolly in the sunshine under a blank bit of wall , while he set to work with a will , feeling rather pleased than not that the broom would not sweep of itself . A crossing was speedily made , and for two or three hours Tony kept it well swept . By that time it was twelve o'clock , and Dolly 's dinner would be ready for her before they could reach home , if old Oliver had not forgotten it . It seemed a great pity to leave his new post so early . Most passers-by , certainly , had appeared not to see him at all ; but he had already received fivepence halfpenny , chiefly in halfpence , from ladies who were out for their morning 's walk ; and Dolly was enjoying herself very much in the sunshine , receiving all the attention which he could spare from his crossing . However a beginning was made .