two o'clock in the afternoon
Mrs. Lee hurried to wash out and iron her new cross-stitched apron , which she had finished only the night before ; a checked gingham apron worked with a design ten inches broad across the bottom ; a hunting scene , with fir trees and a stag and dogs and huntsmen . Mrs. Lee was firm with herself at dinner , and refused a second helping of apple dumplings . `` I ta-ank I save up , '' she said with a giggle . At two o'clock in the afternoon Alexandra 's cart drove up to the Shabatas ' gate , and Marie saw Mrs. Lee 's red shawl come bobbing up the path . She ran to the door and pulled the old woman into the house with a hug , helping her to take off her wraps while Alexandra blanketed the horse outside . Mrs. Lee had put on her best black satine dress -- she abominated woolen stuffs , even in winter -- and a crocheted collar , fastened with a big pale gold pin , containing faded daguerreotypes of her father and mother . She had not worn her apron for fear of rumpling it , and now she shook it out and tied it round her waist with a conscious air .