three
o'clock
was the extent of his piety as of his affection ; and so he lived in the firm belief that he had a heart overflowing with good and kind and generous sentiments . The only unpleasant feelings he had arose for Nelly . Her eyes , that in spite of all her efforts showed recent tears ; her pale face ; her anxious , nervous manner worried and amazed him . `` There 's something strange about that girl , '' he would say to himself ; `` she would sing the whole day long when we had n't a shilling beyond the price of our dinner ; she was as merry as a lark , cutting out them images till two or three o'clock of a morning ; and now that we have lashings and leavings of everything , with all manner of diversions about us , there she sits moping and fretting the whole day . '' His ingenuity could detect no explanation for this . `` To be sure , she was lame , and it might grieve her to look at dancing , in which she could take no part But when did she ever show signs of an envious nature ? She was growing old , too , -- at least , she was six or seven-and-twenty , -- and no prospect of being married ; but was Nelly the girl to grieve over this ?