nine o'clock
`` Funny thing , a daughter o ' the Lord wantin ' me to steal . Wonder wot ole ` Earty ` ud say . '' Having exchanged the clock for seven shillings and badly beaten the pawnbroker 's assistant in a verbal duel , Bindle strolled along towards Walham Green in the happiest frame of mind . The night was young , it was barely nine o'clock , and his whole being yearned for some adventure . He was still preoccupied with the subject of larceny . His wits , Bindle argued , were of little or no use in the furniture-removing business , where mediocrity formed the standard of excellence . There would never be a Napoleon of furniture-removers , but there had been several Napoleons of crime .