six A.M.
He had become resigned but not reconciled to Nellie 's continued and rather persistent absence , regarding it as the sinister proclamation of her intention to carry out the plan for separation in spite of all that he could do to avert the catastrophe . His devotion to Phoebe was more intense than ever ; it had reached the stage of being pathetic . True to his word , he wrote to Mr. Davis , who in time responded , saying that he could give him a place at the soda fountain in May , but that the wages would of necessity be quite small , owing to the fact that the Greeks had invaded Blakeville with the corner fruit stands and soft-drink fountains . He could promise him eight dollars a week , or ten dollars if he would undertake to come to the store at six A.M. and sweep up , a task now performed by the proprietor himself , who found himself approaching an age and a state of health that craved a feast of luxury and ease hitherto untasted . Harvey was in considerable doubt as to his ability to live on ten dollars a week and support Phoebe , as well as to begin the task of reimbursing Nellie for her years of sacrifice . Still , it was better than nothing at all , so he accepted Mr. Davis ' ten-dollar-a-week offer and sat back to wait for the coming of the first of May . In the meantime he would give Nellie some return for her money by doing the work now performed by Annie -- or , more advisedly speaking , a portion of it .