About
twelve o'clock
He was a lawyer who lived at Dol , and from the preparations that were made , Barbara saw that they thought a great deal of him , for there was such baking and cooking as had never been since her arrival . The salad even was adorned with rose leaves , and looked charming , while the Mesdemoiselles Loiré clothed themselves in their best garments . They all sat in state in the drawing-room as the hour for the arrival of the visitors approached , trying to look as if they had never heard of soufflet or mayonnaise salad , and Barbara , who had been called upon to taste each of the dishes in turn and give an opinion on their worth , almost felt as if she never wished to hear of such things again . About twelve o'clock a _ fiacre _ stopped at the door , and a few minutes later the visitors were announced -- father , mother , and daughter . Barbara was agreeably surprised -- as indeed she often was by the Loirés ' friends -- to find that they were so nice . The mother and daughter were both very fashionably dressed , but simple and frank , the father , however , being most attractive to Barbara . He was clever and amusing , and contradicted Mademoiselle Thérèse in such an audacious way , that had it been any one else , she would have retired to her bedroom offended for a week .