four o'clock in the morning
She took her into her own little sitting-room to hear the story , and then up-stairs , to see the woman of whom the story had to be told . `` It was Mr. Tipps , the milkman , came to me yesterday with it all , '' said Luclarion . `` He 's a good soul , Tipps ; as clever as ever was . He was just in on his early rounds , at four o'clock in the morning , -- an awful blustering , cold night , night before last was , -- and he was coming by Graves Alley , when he heard a queer kind of crazy howling down there out of sight . He would n't have minded it , I suppose , for there 's always drunken noise enough about in those places , but it was a woman 's voice , and a baby 's crying was mixed up with it . So he just flung his reins down over his horse 's back , and jumped off his wagon , and ran down . It was this girl , -- Mary Moxall her name is , and Mocks-all it ought to be , sure enough , to finish up after that pure , blessed name so many of these miserables have got christened with ; and she was holding the child by the heels , head down , swinging it back and for ` ard , as you 'd let a gold ring swing on a hair in a tumbler , to try your fortune by , waiting till it would hit and ring .