noon
`` What time to-morrow ? '' Every kind of excuse known to the shop-worker had been poured into his ears . Very few of them contained a particle of truth . `` Before noon , if I can ; certainly by four o'clock . '' `` Four o'clock ? '' he roared . He had already made up his mind that she was lying , but there was no use in his telling her so , nor would any time be gained by taking the work from her and handing it over to another employee .