about
five o'clock
She would not turn again to the little looking-glass , out of humanity to herself , knowing what a deflowered visage would look back at her , and almost break her heart ; she dreaded it as much as did her own ancestral goddess Sif the reflection in the pool after the rape of her locks by Loke the malicious . She steadily stuck to business , wrapped the hair in a parcel , and sealed it up , after which she raked out the fire and went to bed , having first set up an alarum made of a candle and piece of thread , with a stone attached . But such a reminder was unnecessary to-night . Having tossed till about five o'clock , Marty heard the sparrows walking down their long holes in the thatch above her sloping ceiling to their orifice at the eaves ; whereupon she also arose , and descended to the ground-floor again . It was still dark , but she began moving about the house in those automatic initiatory acts and touches which represent among housewives the installation of another day . While thus engaged she heard the rumbling of Mr. Melbury 's wagons , and knew that there , too , the day 's toil had begun . An armful of gads thrown on the still hot embers caused them to blaze up cheerfully and bring her diminished head-gear into sudden prominence as a shadow .