The speaker follows a structured daily routine. In the morning when the gong sounds ten, the speaker walks to school through a lane and meets the hawker crying 'Bangles, crystal bangles!' At four in the afternoon, the speaker returns from school and sees the gardener digging the ground through the gate of a house. In the evening when it gets dark, the speaker's mother sends him to bed, and through the open window, the speaker sees the watchman walking up and down the dark and lonely lane with his lantern. The speaker's day is governed by fixed times for school, returning home, and going to bed, unlike the free people the speaker observes.