nine o’clock
But people of M. de Bargeton 's stamp , who live perforce in silence because their capacity is limited and their outlook circumscribed , often behave at great crises with a ready-made solemnity . If they say little , it naturally follows that they say little that is foolish ; their extreme lack of confidence leads them to think a good deal over the remarks that they are obliged to make ; and , like Balaam 's ass , they speak marvelously to the point if a miracle loosens their tongues . So M. de Bargeton bore himself like a man of uncommon sense and spirit , and justified the opinion of those who held that he was a philosopher of the school of Pythagoras . He reached Stanislas ' house at nine o'clock , bowed silently to Amelie before a whole room full of people , and greeted others in turn with that simple smile of his , which under the present circumstances seemed profoundly ironical . There followed a great silence , like the pause before a storm . Chatelet had made his way back again , and now looked in a very significant fashion from M. de Bargeton to Stanislas , whom the injured gentleman accosted politely . Chatelet knew what a visit meant at this time of night , when old M. de Bargeton was invariably in his bed .