one o'clock
Later , fresh and tidy , she took her place at her desk , rather refreshed by her outburst , and curiously peaceful in spirit . The joys of martyrdom were Susan 's , she was particularly busy and cheerful . Fate had dealt her cruel blows before this one , she inherited from some persecuted Irish ancestor a grim pleasure in accepting them . Afternoons , from one o'clock until half-past five , seemed endless in Front Office . Mornings , beside being exactly one hour shorter by the clock , could be still more abbreviated by the few moments gained by the disposal of hats and wraps , the dusting of desks , sharpening of pencils , and filling of ink-wells . The girls used a great many blocks of yellow paper called scratch-pads , and scratch-pads must be gotten down almost daily from the closet , dusted and distributed , there were paper cuffs to adjust , and there was sometimes a ten or fifteen-minute delay before the bills for the day began to come up . But the afternoons knew no such delays , the girls were tired , the air in the office stale .