four o'clock
For with me , as with Gustave de Berensac before the shadow of Lady Cynthia came between , she was , most distinctly , a `` good comrade . '' Sentiment made no appearance in our conversation , and , as the day ruthlessly wore on , I regretted honestly that I must go in deference to a conventionality which seemed , in this case at least -- Heaven forbid that I should indulge in general theories -- to mask no reality . Yet she was delightful by virtue of the vitality in her ; and the woods echoed again and again with our laughter . At four o'clock we returned sadly to the house , where the merry girls busied themselves in preparing a repast for me . The duchess insisted on sharing my meal . `` I shall go supperless to bed to-night , '' said she ; and we sat down glum as two children going back to school . Suddenly there was a commotion outside ; the girls were talking to one another in rapid eager tones .