half
after twelve o’clock at night
` Mr Haredale , ' said Solomon , turning his back upon the strange man , ` left this place when his lady died , feeling it lonely like , and went up to London , where he stopped some months ; but finding that place as lonely as this -- as I suppose and have always heard say -- he suddenly came back again with his little girl to the Warren , bringing with him besides , that day , only two women servants , and his steward , and a gardener . ' Mr Daisy stopped to take a whiff at his pipe , which was going out , and then proceeded -- at first in a snuffling tone , occasioned by keen enjoyment of the tobacco and strong pulling at the pipe , and afterwards with increasing distinctness : ` -- Bringing with him two women servants , and his steward , and a gardener . The rest stopped behind up in London , and were to follow next day . It happened that that night , an old gentleman who lived at Chigwell Row , and had long been poorly , deceased , and an order came to me at half after twelve o'clock at night to go and toll the passing-bell . ' There was a movement in the little group of listeners , sufficiently indicative of the strong repugnance any one of them would have felt to have turned out at such a time upon such an errand . The clerk felt and understood it , and pursued his theme accordingly . ` It WAS a dreary thing , especially as the grave-digger was laid up in his bed , from long working in a damp soil and sitting down to take his dinner on cold tombstones , and I was consequently under obligation to go alone , for it was too late to hope to get any other companion .