seven o'clock
I know quite well that it is an obscure affair , that the debtors on the one side are honest , scrupulous , and even behaving handsomely ; and the creditor , on the other , is only a cat 's - paw -- '' Eve , aghast , looked at him with bewildered eyes . `` You can understand , '' he continued , with a look full of homely shrewdness , `` that we on the bench have plenty of time to think over all that goes on under our eyes , while the gentlemen in court are arguing with each other . '' Eve went home in despair over her useless effort . That evening at seven o'clock , Doublon came with the notification of imprisonment for debt . The proceedings had reached the acute stage . `` After this , I can only go out after nightfall , '' said David . Eve and Mme. Chardon burst into tears .