six o'clock
And keep them on your neck till she unclasps them with her own hands . Do n't leave them with a servant . '' Georgina , tired of sitting all day in the booth , was glad of an excuse for a long walk . It was almost six o'clock , but the sun was still high . As she went along , jostled off the narrow sidewalk and back on to it again every few steps by the good-natured crowd which swarmed the streets at this hour , she could smell supper cooking in the houses along the way . It would be delayed in many homes because the tide was in and people were running down the beach from the various cottages for a dip into the sea . Some carried their bathing suits in bundles , some wore them under raincoats or dressing gowns , and some walked boldly along bare-armed and bare-legged in the suits themselves .