half past seven in
summer
Then they went to sleep again till half past four or five the next morning . They were usually so tired when they got home at night that they never had any inclination for study or any kind of self-improvement , even if they had had the time . They had plenty of time to study during the winter : and their favourite subject then was , how to preserve themselves from starving to death . This overtime , however , was the exception , for although in former years it had been the almost invariable rule to work till half past seven in summer , most of the firms now made a practice of ceasing work at five-thirty . The revolution which had taken place in this matter was a favourite topic of conversation amongst the men , who spoke regretfully of the glorious past , when things were busy , and they used to work fifteen , sixteen and even eighteen hours a day . But nowadays there were nearly as many chaps out of work in the summer as in the winter . They used to discuss the causes of the change .