five
o'clock
Poor man , I pitied him , and when the girls were gone , took just one more peep to see if he survived it . He seemed to have thrown himself back in his chair , tired out , and sat there with his eyes shut till the clock struck two , when he jumped up , put his books in his pocket , as if ready for another lesson , and taking little Tina who had fallen asleep on the sofa in his arms , he carried her quietly away . I fancy he has a hard life of it . Mrs. Kirke asked me if I would n't go down to the five o'clock dinner , and feeling a little bit homesick , I thought I would , just to see what sort of people are under the same roof with me . So I made myself respectable and tried to slip in behind Mrs. Kirke , but as she is short and I 'm tall , my efforts at concealment were rather a failure . She gave me a seat by her , and after my face cooled off , I plucked up courage and looked about me . The long table was full , and every one intent on getting their dinner , the gentlemen especially , who seemed to be eating on time , for they bolted in every sense of the word , vanishing as soon as they were done .