four in the
afternoon
Besides these contributions , he had undertaken to help us by some work of his own , and had been engaged for the last four days in molding certain events which had happened within his personal knowledge into the form of a story . His extreme fastidiousness as a writer interfered , however , so seriously with his progress that he was still sadly behindhand , and was likely , though less heavily burdened than Morgan or myself , to be the last to complete his allotted task . Such was our position , and such the resources at our command , when the first of the Ten Days dawned upon us . Shortly after four in the afternoon I completed my work of revision , numbered the manuscripts from one to six exactly as they happened to lie under my hand , and inclosed them all in a portfolio , covered with purple morocco , which became known from that time by the imposing title of The Purple Volume . Miss Jessie returned from her expedition just as I was tying the strings of the portfolio , and , womanlike , instantly asked leave to peep inside , which favor I , manlike , positively declined to grant . As soon as dinner was over our guest retired to array herself in magnificent evening costume . It had been arranged that the readings were to take place in her own sitting-room ; and she was so enthusiastically desirous to do honor to the occasion , that she regretted not having brought with her from London the dress in which she had been presented at court the year before , and not having borrowed certain materials for additional splendor which she briefly described as `` aunt 's diamonds . ''