nine o'clock in the evening
But there were tears in Fanny 's eyes . The mother was in one of her vicious tempers , it seemed , and had gone to bed in her basement room with the keys of larder and kitchen , and a bottle of gin . The daughter 's last meal had been whatever she could get for midday dinner . And it was now nine o'clock in the evening . ` Just you wait there . Do n't stir from where you arc . I 'll be back in three minutes , ' I told her .