morning, noon
She lived alone and hoarded her money . She had not been at all willing to lend Mrs. Hopkins the hundred pounds ; but as she had really been fond of Mr. Hopkins , and had at one time meant to make him her heir , she had listened to Mrs. Hopkins 's lamentations , and desired her to send Tom to her to inspect him , and had finally handed over the money , which was to be paid back by monthly installments within the space of three years . Mrs. Hopkins was so relieved to get the money that she never thought at all of the terrible tax it would be to return it . Still , by working hard morning , noon , and night -- she added to her gains by doing fine needlework for several ladies , who said that no one could embroider like Mrs. Hopkins -- she managed to make two ends just meet together , and she always continued to send Mrs. Church her two pounds fifteen shillings and sevenpence on the first of every month . Tom was the one who generally ran across to the old lady 's with the money ; and so fond was she of him that she often gave him a piece of cake , and even on one or two rare occasions kept him to dinner . Tom enjoyed his visits to Mrs. Church , and Mrs. Hopkins was sure to encourage him to go to her , as she hoped against hope that when the old lady died Tom would be left some of her money . It was on a Wednesday that Susy sat in the parlor and forgot all about the interests of the shop ; it was on that very night that the tramp had come in and helped himself to a ten-shilling-piece and some silver out of the till ; and it was on the following Saturday that Mrs. Hopkins , for the first time since she had borrowed the hundred pounds from Aunt Church , as she called the old lady , found that she could not return even a portion of what had just fallen due .