four
o’clock
Next day , Goriot and Rastignac were ready to leave the lodging-house , and only awaited the good pleasure of a porter to move out of it ; but towards noon there was a sound of wheels in the Rue Neuve-Sainte-Genevieve , and a carriage stopped before the door of the Maison Vauquer . Mme. de Nucingen alighted , and asked if her father was still in the house , and , receiving an affirmative reply from Sylvie , ran lightly upstairs . It so happened that Eugene was at home all unknown to his neighbor . At breakfast time he had asked Goriot to superintend the removal of his goods , saying that he would meet him in the Rue d'Artois at four o'clock ; but Rastignac 's name had been called early on the list at the Ecole de Droit , and he had gone back at once to the Rue Nueve-Sainte-Genevieve . No one had seen him come in , for Goriot had gone to find a porter , and the mistress of the house was likewise out . Eugene had thought to pay her himself , for it struck him that if he left this , Goriot in his zeal would probably pay for him . As it was , Eugene went up to his room to see that nothing had been forgotten , and blessed his foresight when he saw the blank bill bearing Vautrin 's signature lying in the drawer where he had carelessly thrown it on the day when he had repaid the amount .