five in the morning
Two clerks and an office-boy sufficed him to carry on his business , which was immense through the multiplicity of its details . One clerk attended to the correspondence ; the other had charge of the accounts ; but Pierre Graslin was himself the soul , and body too , of the whole concern . His clerks , chosen from his own relations , were safe men , intelligent and as well-trained in the work as himself . As for the office-boy , he led the life of a truck horse , -- up at five in the morning at all seasons , and never getting to bed before eleven at night . Graslin employed a charwoman by the day , an old peasant from Auvergne , who did his cooking . The brown earthenware off which he ate , and the stout coarse linen which he used , were in keeping with the character of his food . The old woman had strict orders never to spend more than three francs daily for the total expenses of the household .