nine o’clock
Phil looked admiringly at the boy who was not afraid of the padrone . Like his comrades , he had been accustomed to think of the padrone as possessed of unlimited power , and never dreamed of anybody defying him , or resisting his threats . Though he had determined to run away , his soul was not free from the tyranny of his late taskmaster , and he thought with uneasiness and dread of the possibility of his being conveyed back to him . `` Well , mother , '' said Paul , glancing at the clock as he rose from the breakfast table , `` it is almost nine o'clock -- rather a late hour for a business man like me . '' `` You are not often so late , Paul . '' `` It is lucky that I am my own employer , or I might run the risk of being discharged . I am afraid the excuse that I was at Mrs. Hoffman 's fashionable party would not be thought sufficient .