five o'clock
Had he not before been successful , when success seemed to be as far from him ? But he could buoy himself up with no real hope . Even when these ideas were present to his mind , he knew , -- he knew well , -- at those very moments , that his back was broken . Some one had come in and lighted the candles and drawn down the blinds while he was sitting there , and now , as he looked at his watch , he found that it was past five o'clock . He was engaged to dine with Madame Max Goesler at eight , and in his agony he half-resolved that he would send an excuse . Madame Max would be full of wrath , as she was very particular about her little dinner-parties ; -- but , what did he care now about the wrath of Madame Max Goesler ? And yet only this morning he had been congratulating himself , among his other successes , upon her favour , and had laughed inwardly at his own falseness , -- his falseness to Violet Effingham , -- as he did so .