six o'clock in the evening
The strangulation cravat at his throat was of the kind which every marquis wears in all the portraits which adorn eighteenth century literature ; it is common alike to Saint-Preux and to Lovelace , to the elegant Montesquieu 's heroes and to Diderot 's homespun characters -LRB- see the first editions of those writers ' works -RRB- . The Marquis always wore a white , gold-embroidered , high waistcoat , with the red ribbon of a commander of the Order of St. Louis blazing upon his breast ; and a blue coat with wide skirts , and fleur-de-lys on the flaps , which were turned back -- an odd costume which the King had adopted . But the Marquis could not bring himself to give up the Frenchman 's knee-breeches nor yet the white silk stockings or the buckles at the knees . After six o'clock in the evening he appeared in full dress . He read no newspapers but the Quotidienne and the Gazette de France , two journals accused by the Constitutional press of obscurantist views and uncounted `` monarchical and religious '' enormities ; while the Marquis d'Esgrignon , on the other hand , found heresies and revolutionary doctrines in every issue . No matter to what extremes the organs of this or that opinion may go , they will never go quite far enough to please the purists on their own side ; even as the portrayer of this magnificent personage is pretty certain to be accused of exaggeration , whereas he has done his best to soften down some of the cruder tones and dim the more startling tints of the original . The Marquis d'Esgrignon rested his elbows on his knees and leant his head on his hands .