nine o'clock
If it were true that she was still in Monte Carlo , she would probably be in the Casino this evening . Vanno had not gone there often , after the first night or two , for he hated to see Mary in the Rooms alone , playing a game which attracted crowds , and caused people of all sorts to talk about her . Now , however , he finished his dinner quickly , and went immediately to the Casino . It was just nine o'clock , and though it was Christmas the crowd was as great as ever , even greater than he had seen it before . Vanno walked through the Salle Schmidt , where Mary usually played , stopping at each table long enough to make sure that she was not there . Then he passed on into the newer rooms lit by those hanging lights which Mary had thought like diamond necklaces of giantesses . The three life-size figures of the eccentric yet decorative picture , nicknamed `` The Disgraces , '' seemed to follow him mockingly with langorous eyes , whispering to each other , `` Here comes a fool who does not understand women . ''