five o'clock
at the top of his lusty young voice , he went along the landing , putting his gifts outside the doors of his family , and pausing to yell `` Happy Christmas '' as he did so . From within he was greeted in each case by muffled groans . He went downstairs into the hall , still singing . It was earlier than he thought -- just five o'clock . The maids were not down yet . He switched on lights recklessly , and discovered that he was not the only person in the hall . His four-year-old cousin Jimmy was sitting on the bottom step in an attitude of despondency , holding an empty tin .