six o’clock
Do you know the way out , or shall I go with you ? '' `` I know the way , '' said Phil . He went downstairs and once more found himself on the sidewalk . It was but six o'clock , and five or six hours were still before him before he could feel at liberty to go home . Should he return too early , he would be punished for losing the possible gains of the hour he had lost , even if the sum he brought home were otherwise satisfactory . So , whatever may be his fatigue , or however inclement the weather , the poor Italian boy is compelled to stay out till near midnight , before he is permitted to return to the hard pallet on which only he can sleep off his fatigues . Again in the street , Phil felt that he must make up for lost time .