seven o'clock
But the only way not to lose the stars he followed was to keep near them . He would not for a great deal have questioned the hotel people about `` Miss M. Grant , '' otherwise he might have learned for how long a time her room was engaged , and , incidentally , that she was alone . But as it was , he had to find out things for himself , and to do this must be in the same hotel . It was only seven o'clock when he came down from his little room at the top of the house , not nearly as expensive as Mary 's , and stopped at the foot of the marble stairs , which he liked better than the lift , to look round the big hall . There was no great crowd , for most people who had come in from the Casino were dressing for dinner , and Prince Vanno saw at a glance that Miss M. Grant was not there . He went on slowly through the Louis Seize tea-room , to the gorgeous restaurant with its domed and gilded ceiling , its immense wall paintings , and glass front . At one of these window tables -- a very small one -- sat a lovely creature , alone .