two o’clock
` Yes , ' he said , when Paul had explained his business ; ` you can start in at once , and if you 're any good you 're safe for a month or two . I hope you 're a steady worker , ' he went on despondingly , as if he were quite hopeless . ` They 're not a dependable lot here -- not a dependable lot at all . ' Paul took his place amongst the depressed little crowd at two o'clock that afternoon , and worked away among them until two o'clock on the following Saturday . A little before that hour it became evident that something was wrong . An excited little man ran into the dingy room , and began a whispered conversation with the tired dyspeptic . ` But , my God ! '